The Scrapbook
by Trixie Black Lestrange
Summary: Rodolphus' life memories...along the storyline of flashbacks in Always and Now and Forevermore. Longer description inside.
1. Chapter 1: Meeting Bella

**This is a collection of Rodolphus' memories of becoming and being a Death Eater. It also includes some of his early life and some random extra scenes. This fic was inspired by the memories taken from Rodolphus in another of my fics, Now and Forevermore. This is supposed to be that collection. Thanks to The Purple Black who gave me the extra prod to actually scribe it! ;)**

Chapter 1: Meeting Bella

Five year old Rodolphus Lestrange frowned at his father's back, his left hand reaching up to rub his cheek where he'd been reprimanded with a magical slap. He did not want to leave his play room to follow his father to Merlin-knew-where to do something stupid and boring. He didn't dare ask to stay home again, and put his hand down innocently when his father turned back to him.

"You will be going to the Black mansion with me, and I do not want to hear another word of complaint," Desmond Lestrange told the boy sharply.

"Yes, Father," the boy answered obediently, though he was not as willing inside.

Father and son Lestrange left the halls of their home, Desmond taking his son's hand before disapparating. The man barely waited for his son to recover from the sudden long apparition before he strode forward to the gates. The boy stuck close by his father, silent and solemn, dignified as he'd always been taught as they were admitted to the manor.

"Lestrange," said man before them as a house elf offered to take their traveling cloaks.

"Go away," Rodolphus told it when the two adults weren't looking. "I'm keeping mine."

The elf was gone, and Cygnus Black looked down at the small boy, his brow furrowing. "Brought your son?" Rodolphus looked up at the man, realizing the conversation was about him. His father glanced down at him, and the other man asked, "What is your name, boy?"

"My name is Rodolphus," he answered, careful to say his own name right. It had been a struggle to learn to say his own name correctly, but his mother had drilled it into him enough that it was more natural. He still said his name wrong whenever he got nervous, though.

"If you would rather, he could join Bellatrix and Andromeda in their playroom."

The little boy only just noticed the dark-haired woman who had been standing slightly behind the man of the house. She was looking at him calculatingly, and then stepped forward to stand beside her husband.

Moments later, Rodolphus found himself following Druella Black down the hall of the mansion, his father going off to the study with Cygnus. She led him to a door obviously decorated to appeal to children, then knocked specially before opening the door and leading him inside.

Two little girls stood in the middle of the room, toys laid aside, waiting. The brown-haired child was watching her mother for instruction, but the older girl, the black-haired one, was staring at _him_. "Bellatrix, Andromeda, this is Rodolphus Lestrange. He and his father are visiting us for a little while today." The woman frowned at her older daughter, who grinned innocently at her mother.

"Hello," said the smaller girl courteously. "I'm Andromeda. Pleased to meet you, Rodolphus."

He answered politely, then glanced back at the black-haired girl, who was smirking at him now that her mother had gone. "And you are…?" he asked her, almost frowning. He didn't know why she would be smirking at him, and it annoyed him.

"I'm Bella," answered the girl. "Andy, you should have asked Mother if we could go out in the grounds." The brown-haired child looked over at the door, and Bella decided, "Let's just go."

Rodolphus wondered why the girl wouldn't have asked her own mother, but followed the two as Bella opened the door and led the way down the hall. Andy told their new acquaintance that she was three and Bella was four, almost five, and Rodolphus didn't reply, Bella beginning to chatter about their younger sister, baby Cissa.

"Bella, shhh," Andy said, grabbing her sister's hand, and received a frown. "You're talking too much."

"But if I don't talk, no one will," Bella said haughtily, tossing her hair. " _He_ doesn't want to, and you've said all the nice things that Mother taught you already anyway."

"Bella!" Andromeda said in horror, glancing apologetically at the dark-haired boy.

Rodolphus shuffled uncomfortably, then said, "Do you two remember your first magic?"

Bella giggled, then answered, "I hurt a house-elf, and now we don't have it anymore. I don't know where it went."

"That wasn't your first," Andy muttered, but Bella ignored her. "I...broke something in the nursery, I think. I wanted Mum, but she wasn't there."

"And you broke something because you wanted Mum," Bella said, still giggling. "That's stupid. What did _you_ do?" She turned on Rodolphus suddenly.

He stared at her for a second, then said, "I broke a mirror when I was two."

Bella shrieked, "You broke a mirror?! Seven years bad luck!" She stopped. "You were two years old?"

"Bella," Andromeda began cautiously, but Bella wasn't listening.

"Two years old before your magic awakened," the black-haired girl taunted him. "And broke a mirror. You're just bad luck, Dolphie."

"Don't call me that," Rodolphus said before he realised that it was a bad idea. He'd made her start giggling again.

"Bellatrix!" the girl stopped giggling, both Black sisters turning to see their father walking toward them, Rodolphus' father with him. "What are you doing out here? You were to stay in the playroom!"

Andromeda stepped forward. "It was my idea, Father," she said. "We would have made a mess if we did wandless magic in there."

Rodolphus stood to the side, watching the three-year-old lie to her father. He saw Bella glance at him, magic crackling in her small hands before she closed her fists over it. He knew she meant to tease him about how old he was when he first used magic, and he didn't like it.

The two girls walked in their father's wake back up to the house, looking at each other with satisfaction. Rodolphus didn't say anything until he had to say goodbye, quietly saying what was required of him before his father took him by the arm and disapparated.

Desmond Lestrange looked down at his heir, both standing in the Entrance Hall of Lestrange Manor as an elf took their cloaks. "What did you think of the Black sisters?"

"Andy's nice," Rodolphus told his father after a moment, not knowing how to say that he thought Bella Black was the rudest witch he'd ever met in his young life.


	2. Chapter 2: Beetles and Books

**I was so excited for this chapter that I had to upload it right after the first one! I know it's a bit shorter, but I hope you enjoy! Later chapters might either be shorter, or longer, depending on how difficult I find them to write. I'd love to write a long, drawn-out scene of torture. :) haha As I said, enjoy!**

A seven year old Rodolphus sat on the sofa in the library, waiting for his parents to return home. He had been reading a book that had caught his attention, which had just happened to contain some of the Lestrange family's Dark contributions to the world. Rodolphus was presently wondering if he should find a beetle to test out the shriveling spell that he'd just read, but didn't know if he could contain it: the spell seemed fairly extensive and complex.

The boy smirked as he remembered his father explaining to him how useful beetles were in learning most kinds of spells: Desmond Lestrange's examples had been _Crucio_ , _Imperio_ , and _Avada Kedavra._ The Imperius had offered him no trouble at all: the beetle had gladly danced, hidden, and done whatever Rodolphus had wished it to, but Desmond was not pleased with his son's Cruciatus Curse.

 _"_ _Too harsh!" the man scolded the boy. "The point of_ Crucio _is to cause suffering, not to end it quickly!"_

 _"_ _Sorry," Rodolphus muttered, realising the beetle had died mid-_ Crucio. _Yet, several minutes later, no beetle had managed to survive the boy's spell. Rodolphus sighed as his father Summoned another beetle._

 _"_ _If you kill this one as well, I will have to show you how the Curse is done properly," Desmond warned the boy._

 _Rodolphus frowned as he watched the bug resting stupidly on the table, not knowing what awaited it. He knew that he was to only cause intense pain, but not to torture the insect to death. Pointing his grandfather's wand at the beetle, he hissed, "_ Crucio!"

 _The beetle jerked violently, its exoskeleton visibly cracking. "Stupid boy!" his father said, cursing at him in French. "The victim is not supposed to explode! The victim is to_ feel _as if they will explode!"_

 _In the next instant, before the boy could reply, an intense pain coursed through his body and terror filled him as he felt what his father had just described. "Father!" he cried through the pain, falling to his knees. Rodolphus didn't mind the pain as much as he hated the feeling of being crushed: both from the outside and the inside. He didn't like feeling as if one layer of skin was trying to push the outer layer off, and didn't like that it was hard to breathe because of the pressure outside his body. "Father!" he cried again, clenching his fists tightly._

 _Desmond Lestrange released the Curse, looking down at the boy, who was trembling, placing a hand on his chest to make sure the weight was gone. "You've got to learn," he said quietly to the young boy. "You've got to know this to earn and keep your place in society. I will not allow you to fail the House of Lestrange, Rodolphus."_

 _"_ _Yes, Father," the boy gasped, and, three different Crucios later, Rodolphus managed not to kill the beetle, instead leaving it twitching on the table._

 _"_ _Improvement," Desmond said, then motioned the boy to be gone._

 _Rodolphus fled in as dignified a way as he could, longing to be away from torture and death for a while. He ran into his mother in the corridor before his room, and grasped her robes tightly, hoping she would understand what had happened and not push him away._

 _Meira Lestrange put her arms around her son and sighed softly, feeling the residual magic of the Curses that had been done. "A lesson from your father," she said quietly before leading him on into his room. She Summoned a potion, allowing him to sit down on the bed before she handed the glass to him. "Drink," she told him. "It will help you recover. Perhaps I should teach you how to brew this potion, hmm? You will probably need to know it."_

 _Rodolphus drank the potion without stopping, then asked, "Mother, why does Father say that the Cruciatus can make you feel all sorts of ways, but it kills if you try to do several of them?"_

 _"_ _It's meant to be done one variation at a time," Meira answered. "I don't know them all, and I haven't done most of them. That's something you should ask your father."_

 _"_ _I couldn't," Rodolphus shook his head ever so slightly. "He'd use them all on me."_

 _Meira sat down beside her son and said, "I don't think he would. You could always look up the answers yourself. Your father would like to see that, I'm sure."_

 _Rodolphus smirked. "All right, I will."_

Rodolphus frowned at the book in his hand. It was completely void of an explanation for the death of the beetles. It only said that harsh use of _Crucio_ could cause permanent disfigurement, mind damage, or even insanity. It said nothing about death. Rodolphus wondered if any book about the Unforgivables would be able to satisfy his curiousity. All he knew was that he wasn't sure he wanted to experiment, and he did _not_ want to be the test victim.


	3. Chapter 3: Finding Common Ground

"Rodolphus?" Meira Lestrange stepped into the library, finding her son splayed on the couch, reading yet another book. "Rod, if your father saw you right now..."

The boy sat up, straightening his robes and smoothing his hair quickly. "Where is he?"

His mother smiled a little. "Waiting for us in the Entrance Hall. You didn't forget that we were visiting the Blacks again today?"

"Oh," Rodolphus said, sighing. He always dreaded visiting Ravensden because Bellatrix had never hesitated to make fun of him the three times he'd been to her father's manor. "Yes, I did. Do I have to go this time, too?"

"Yes, Rodolphus," Meira told him. "You know that your father wants to make a strong alliance with the girls' family."

"But why do _I_ have to be there every time?" Rodolphus sighed, almost complaining. "It's not as if I do anything besides talk to Andy and Cissa."

Meira placed one hand on her son's shoulder. "You are your father's heir, Rodolphus, and you will one day be head of the House of Lestrange. That is reason enough for you to be friendly with the young Blacks."

The boy placed the book he'd been reading into his pocket before leaving the room with his mother. He joined his father, who didn't say a word as they left Lestrange Manor.

Moments later, they were in the Entrance Hall of Ravensden, greeting the five Blacks. As Rodolphus took each girl by the hand in turn, he marveled at the differences between the sisters. Bellatrix smirked at him when he kissed her hand out of courtesy, her black eyes sparkling with amusement that did not bode well for his visit. Andromeda stood next to Bella, just as tall, but with brown eyes instead of black. She spoke kindly to him, inquiring as to his well-being during the last few months.

The youngest sister murmured a greeting, and Rodolphus said, "Hello, Narcissa." She looked up, the usual spirit in her black eyes strangely subdued.

"Welcome," she answered, pulling her hand away from his as quickly as possible without seeming rude. Her blonde hair hid her face a moment before Bella slipped an arm around her waist and led them away from the adults.

The oldest Black sister was whispering to the youngest very quickly as Andromeda walked next to their guest, talking loudly enough that Rodolphus couldn't hear what the other girls were saying, and quietly enough that she wasn't obviously trying to make conversation.

Rodolphus walked into the room, then found himself staring at a scorch mark on the wall. "What's that?" he said, knowing that he probably shouldn't have seen it.

"Bella did that," Andromeda sighed. "With Grandmum's wand. Father doesn't know yet: we don't know what to tell him."

"Well, we could tell him I did it acci-dent-ally," the littlest girl said.

Both the child's older sisters cut her off at the same time. "You won't," Andromeda said sharply as Bellatrix said, "He'd never believe that."

Rodolphus frowned at the burn mark. "What was it?"

Bellatrix smirked. "Has your father taught you the Unforgivables yet?"

"It was a Cruciatus, wasn't it?" Rodolphus realised, a grin spreading across his face. "A house-elf again?"

"Ooh, Bella, he knows!" Cissa said, and Bella rolled her eyes, shoving her sister playfully, though hard enough that the child sat down on the floor with a thud.

"Be quiet, Cissa." Bellatrix was grinning at Rodolphus delightedly, ignoring Andromeda as she helped Narcissa to her feet and brushed off the girl's dress.

Rodolphus was almost sorry for Bella's two younger sisters, but thought that if they had lived with her all their lives, they would be okay. "And yes, Father has given me a few lessons," he told the oldest Black sister.

She grinned excitedly. "Good!" she said firmly. "Then we can practise—"

"On insects only, Bella," Andromeda cut in.

"Of course," Bella waved her sister off. "We can practise our lessons, and tell Father that we misjudged one of the Curses! That's perfect, Rod!" She didn't touch him at all, but dragged him over to the windowsill all the same. "You have a wand with you, don't you?" she demanded, and he said yes. "Show me your spell," she said hungrily, pointing him to a spider in the corner of the window. "I've been practising on this one."

Rodolphus looked at the spider, then quickly glancing around the window, finding another spider. He didn't think Bella would appreciate his killing her victim for her. He brought the spider down onto the windowsill before pointing his grandfather's wand at it and saying, " **Crucio!** "

The spider didn't die, to Rodolphus' surprise. Bella giggled as she watched the spider jerk and twitch under the boy's spell. "Not bad," she told him when he was finished. "I like that you don't even have to shout."

He grinned, his first reaction. "It's not necessary," he said. "But I used to struggle with not killing the spider—the beetles, I mean—with my Curse."

"Your _Crucio_ must be quite intense," Bella mused, smirking. "For the beetles to just die afterward."

"They died during the Curse," Rodolphus replied, seeing Narcissa tilt her head and look at Andromeda in alarm.

The two younger Black sisters slipped over to the couch, Narcissa sitting behind Andromeda and beginning to play with her hair. Bella didn't seem to notice, instead saying, "Oh. Well, you've got to make sure that you don't use more than three versions of the Cruciatus at the same time unless you're really trying to cause damage to—"

"Bellatrix," Andromeda said sharply, and the dark-haired girl turned to give her sister a glare.

"Go somewhere else, then," Bella replied, tossing her dark curls and turning back to Rodolphus, who was staring at her blankly. She didn't even glance at her sisters as Andromeda followed the youngest sister out of the room. "Unless you want to cause damage to or kill your victim," she finished. "You don't know about this." She frowned at him, then added, "It's all in this book that father has. Here." She crossed the room and retrieved a book from between the cushions of the couch, sitting down where her sisters had been a moment before.

Rodolphus sat down beside the girl, close enough to see the pages over her shoulder. "Variations of _Crucio_ ," he read from the chapter title. He glanced through the overview, realising that he really had no idea of the scope of the Cruciatus. "How well do you know this book?" he asked her.

Bellatrix smirked, pushing the book into his hands. "Check me," she told him, then began to recite the versions of the Cruciatus.

He realised that she knew far more about torture methods than any seven year old girl should, Black or not. Her recitation was close enough to perfect that he didn't interrupt a single time as she told him of cracking bones, flaming flesh, being crushed...her eyes were wide with excitement and interest as she spoke passionately about using the Drowning Cruciatus on one of their house-elves.

"I thought it was going to scratch its throat out," she giggled. "Andy made me stop so she could help it, but it said that it really does feel like breathing in water, and pain besides that. I wouldn't know." Bellatrix was back to giggling, her shoulder brushing his as she leaned closer to check her own recitation.

"Have you used them all before?" Rodolphus asked her curiously.

"Yes," she said, then frowned. "No. I haven't used the shriveling and melting one yet. I thought it would be better to do it on something else, but Andy refused to let me try it on a house-elf, and not the cat, either."

Rodolphus laughed, and Bellatrix laughed too. "Try a rat," Rodolphus told her. "Father said that he'd let me try it eventually, but that I'd need more practise. I'm sure you could do it."

Bellatrix looked offended. "We haven't got rats!"

He looked at her for a moment, then said, "Not a single rodent? Not even as a pet?"

"Maybe in the dungeon," Bella muttered thoughtfully. "Father doesn't like me to be down there, though. Andy might get one for us." She jumped to her feet, shoving the book into her pocket. "Let's go ask her!"

"Why does your sister get to do everything that you don't?" Rodolphus asked without thinking.

The black-haired girl stared at him, her eyes sparking dangerously. "Because she's our parents' favourite, and she never does anything wrong. She's perfect. You've seen her. Now come along."

Bellatrix swept from the room, leaving Rodolphus to follow in her wake.


	4. Chapter 4

An eight year old Rodolphus shaded his eyes as he looked up into the sky above the grounds of Lestrange Manor. Andromeda did send him a letter once in a while to let him know what was happening to her and her sisters. She, of course, was barely six years old, but owned a quill that would write what she spoke. Rodolphus wondered if Bellatrix or someone edited the letters, for he was sure that Andromeda would never say some of the things that were written for him to see.

Rodolphus frowned at the thought of Andromeda talking about anything unsuitable for discussion with those outside their immediate family. She was the least likely person to be improper: Bellatrix was right about her. Bella was always right, he sighed. He was almost sure that the oldest Black sister wrote to him and signed her sister's name, but he didn't want to be rude if he was wrong, and he didn't want to give Bella another reason to laugh at him.

The boy frowned at a nearby pigeon, glancing around for a stone to throw at it. He didn't see any immediately, however, and looked up, hearing a hoot and flapping wings. The owl perched on his arm, pecking his cheek as he tried to get the letter off it. "Ouch!" he swore at the bird, who hooted again, dropped the letter, and flew away. Rodolphus picked up the letter and opened it.

 _Rodolphus:_

 _I hope this letter finds you in good health. Bella, Cissa, and I would like to personally invite you to the gathering our family is holding at our home the nineteenth of April. Your family will be receiving a formal invitation from our family, but Bella and I decided to invite you personally. We do hope that you and your parents will be able to attend, and look forward to seeing you at that time._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Andromeda Black_

Rodolphus frowned at the letter. Girls were altogether too excited about parties and things like that, he decided. Shaking his head slightly, he slipped the letter into his pocket and walked back up to his house.

* * *

On the nineteenth of April, Rodolphus and his father arrived at Ravensden to find quite a large gathering at the manor. Desmond looked down at his son, then said, "Talk with the other young ones, Rodolphus. Learn them. Remember what your mother and I have taught you."

"Yes, Father," answered the boy, then walked toward a group of other boys with whom he was acquainted.

"Lestrange," the blonde boy greeted him, and the other boys looked around at him.

"Malfoy," Rodolphus answered quietly, nodding to the others. "Nott...Selwyn. I must confess I don't know your names," he added to the other two.

Lucius Malfoy waved his hand casually at the two. "This one's Crabbe and that one's Goyle," he said. "They haven't got first names."

Selwyn began to laugh, and the other boy joined in. "I saw you walk in with your father, wasn't it?" Nott asked.

Rodolphus said yes, then merely listened as Lucius began to talk about something his father had told him about the Dark Lord rising in their world. "The Muggle killings are becoming more frequent," Goyle agreed excitedly, and his chunky companion nodded.

"Father says more wizards are joining the cause," Lucius said, smirking. "That's why. But the Dark Lord needs more manpower: he can't do everything himself."

"Are you going to join him?" Crabbe said in surprise. "When you're old enough?"

"Go on, Lucius," chuckled Nott. "Show the world how it's done."

Selwyn rolled his eyes at the two. "That's supposed to be a secret, Payton. It isn't to show the world: if you wanted to know what it was like, you _and_ Lucius could go join him."

"Who?" Bellatrix Black stood there, watching the six boys.

"The Dark Lord," Rodolphus told her before he could stop himself, and heard two of the boys hiss in disapproval.

Bellatrix smirked at the blonde boy, then said, "Wouldn't surprise me, Lucius, although I've heard it's quite graphic. Are you sure you're cut out for such rough work?"

Rodolphus barely kept himself from grinning at Bella's words. The Malfoy heir did seem a little too fine to get blood on his hands, he thought amusedly.

Bellatrix didn't let him answer, though, saying, "I was supposed to say to you though, Lucius, and Rodolphus, that Cissa says hello. She isn't allowed to attend because she's too young, but she wanted to greet you anyway."

The Lestrange boy smiled politely, but Lucius shook his head slightly, condescendingly. "Thank you, Bella," said Malfoy.

The girl refused to be dismissed that easily, speaking of something else. Rodolphus watched and listened to Bellatrix and Lucius talk, each trying to outwit the other. Lucius obviously wanted her to go away, but she was pretending to be oblivious. Finally, Lucius asked her, "Don't you have other guests to speak to, Bella?"

"Andy's with them," answered the dark-haired girl, watching another family arrive.

"Who are they?" Payton Nott asked, frowning as the red hair became more obvious under the bright lights in the room. "That can't be the Weasleys…."

"Those are the Prewetts," Bellatrix answered, watching the red-haired girl about her age walk nervously into the room. "How...unfortunate for them."

Rodolphus saw Andromeda catch her sister's eye, but Bella refused to leave the boys. Moments later, Andromeda slipped into their gathering, right next to her older sister, and said softly, "Bella, Mother wishes to speak to you for a moment."

The black-haired girl excused herself, and Rodolphus saw Lucius watching her walk away. He was amused with the girl's ability to annoy the suave youth, and wondered if she knew she was doing it. Andromeda caught his eye, then nodded to them all and hurried after her sister. The boys fell back into their discussion, but Rodolphus noticed that Lucius kept an eye out for any approaching girls.

Not too long after the girls had gone, they were all summoned to the dining hall for the feast, and Rodolphus was slightly surprised to see Narcissa with her sisters, looking as proper as could be for a three year old.

Rodolphus sat between his father and the Avery boy, who was quite a few years younger, closer to Andromeda's age. Lucius and his parents were across from them, and Bellatrix was sandwiched between her sisters, Andromeda next to their mother. Narcissa sat beside her oldest sister and Lucius, quiet, waiting for the meal to begin.

The boy couldn't help thinking that Lucius seemed slightly distracted by the small child sitting demurely at his side, and wondered if the blonde boy was comparing Cissa to her older, rambunctious sister. Still, the three Black sisters looked quite alike at the moment, except for their hair colour. Each was quietly sitting there, waiting—and then Rodolphus jumped, for someone had kicked him under the table.

Desmond frowned at his son, hissing a few words to him, and Rodolphus kept calm until his father turned away. Bellatrix smirked at him across the table, amused at the results of her restlessness. Rodolphus frowned at her impropriety, but didn't say anything: Andromeda had already caught on and was scolding her sister in a whisper. Bellatrix was still grinning when they began their meal, although she didn't answer her sister.

After the feast, Desmond told Rodolphus that they would be staying later than most of the others, as the men had something to discuss. _As always_ , Rodolphus thought. He silently joined the girls and Lucius on the way to a more private, comfortable room. Bellatrix sank into the couch, but Andromeda sat down properly, and Narcissa sat between her sisters, looking between the two boys.

"I'm glad you both could stay," Andromeda told them.

"It's a decent opportunity to get to know other purebloods better," Lucius replied easily. Rodolphus decided it was easier to watch and let the Malfoy try to handle the Black sisters all together. "Father wants me to be acquainted with most of the purebloods my age, so that we sort of know each other before we go off to Hogwarts."

Bellatrix grinned gleefully. "But we've only got three more years left," she reminded him. "I'm eight, and you've been eight for a few months."

"You're eight, aren't you?" Lucius said to Rodolphus.

"No, I'm nine already," he answered. "My birthday was in March."

"Oh, you're the oldest of us!" Andromeda smiled.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "You'd never know—Cissy!" For the little girl had poked her older sister viciously in the side.

Narcissa stared back at her indignantly. "Don't be rude, Bella!"

"Well, he never says anything," Bella excused herself.

"Because you and Lucius say it all," Andromeda answered. "The rest of us needn't talk."

"Stop," Lucius told them, raising a hand. "I'm sure an argument wasn't what our parents had in mind for us."

Rodolphus snorted before he could stop himself, and was fairly certain he saw the other boy grin a little. Bellatrix turned to him. "What do you think our parents had in mind, _Lestrange_?"

He stared at her a moment, then said, "Besides polite conversation and becoming slightly better acquainted? Your guess, or mine, I suppose."

Bella sighed. "Boring," she said.

Lucius frowned at her. "Your parents have their work cut out for them, to turn you into the perfect pureblood wife for someone."

"Ha!" said the eight year old girl haughtily, turning away from the blonde boy.

"Not that that's any of your business, Malfoy," Andromeda said sharply. "Unless you intend to get your father to ask ours for Bella!"

"Never!" Bella shrieked, and Rodolphus laughed outright.

"That would be a disaster," Rodolphus agreed. "He's too fine, and she's too wild."

Bella giggled instead of shrieking this time, and Lucius smirked. "That's not to say she won't change."

Narcissa frowned at Lucius. "I won't let her!" she said firmly. "And you can't have her!"

The children were all laughing at Narcissa's bewildered expression when their parents arrived to take the children home.

* * *

When Desmond and Rodolphus arrived back at their home, the man asked his son, "Did you talk to the other boys? Did you hear anything interesting?"

Rodolphus frowned, thinking of his conversation throughout the night. "They were only talking of the Dark Lord," he said softly, seeing his father's expression darken. "They don't know what it's like."

Desmond agreed, Rodolphus slipping out of his cloak and laying it over his arm. "Naive little children," Desmond muttered. "If they but understood what an alliance with the Dark Lord means-they might think twice before embracing it." He gave his heir a sharp look. "Never you tell them, or mention this to them, Rodolphus, do you understand?"

"Of course, Father," he answered, then smirked. "I would never be so open about our loyalties as Lucius is. Do you know-if I had a sickle for every time Lucius says 'Father said,' I could make the Malfoys look like Weasleys."

The boy's father chuckled, then slipped his arm around his shoulders, the two walking into their home together.


	5. Chapter 5: Hogwarts Letter

**Another update! I'm really glad that this one is finished: it's 1am here, haha Enjoy!**

* * *

Rodolphus received a Hogwarts letter on his eleventh birthday, and the boy smiled as he read it before hurrying off to show his mother. Meira Lestrange congratulated him, giving him a hug, then cautioned him, "You might want to tell your father carefully. He might still want you to attend the school he attended."

Rod frowned, then agreed, hurrying off to his father's study before stopping quietly before the door. He touched the ward with his magic, and the wards went down, allowing his entrance. Desmond Lestrange looked up at his son, who set the Hogwarts letter before the older man.

"Do you wish to attend Hogwarts?" Desmond said disapprovingly.

"I—" Rod was quiet for a moment, then said, "Most of the children I know will be attending Hogwarts eventually, and I thought, if we wish to be more closely acquainted with their families, it would benefit us for me to attend Hogwarts."

"Sure you did," Desmond scoffed, then picked up the letter, looking it over again. "Well, you know you must be in Slytherin, if you do go, you know."

"Of course, Father," Rodolphus answered quickly. "Everyone says that, and I'm no Hufflepuff, and I've been told I'm no Ravenclaw, either."

Desmond raised an eyebrow. "Who tells you that?"

"Malfoy," Rod said. "He didn't say it right out, but Bella did. And everyone laughed. I know I'm supposed to be a Slytherin, Father. I couldn't be anything less."

"Very good," Desmond said. "I'll speak to you about this later, Rodolphus. I have other things to deal with at the moment."

"Yes, Father," answered the boy, and left the paper on his father's desk.

* * *

Rodolphus was not surprised when his mother told him that they'd decided to send him to Hogwarts. She took him to Diagon Alley to get his school things, which did not please him at all. He'd been to Diagon only two or three times because it wasn't convenient for their family to be so far away from home to merely shop.

He stayed close to his mother, even though several other small boys seemed to running around on their own. Meira told him that they would be visiting the robe shop, just to purchase an extra set of black robes for him. He knew that his mother had already made sure that his robes were the proper length, but realised he'd have to be measured for the new robes.

Meira said softly, "I'm going to go a few shops away and get your books. I'll be visiting the apothecary afterward. When you're finished, you can come find me."

"Okay," he agreed. "Thanks." She left, and he felt a bit nervous as soon as she'd disappeared down the street. He distracted himself by looking at styles of robes, wondering which one he should chose. He didn't want anything too fancy, but he didn't want to look shabby, or less than his House would expect of him.

"Oh, hello." Rodolphus looked up and found himself face to face with a red-haired boy.

"Hello," Rodolphus said with a frown. "Watch where you're going."

The boy looked startled, but immediately said, "Sorry. I was just excited—first year of Hogwarts you know—I see it's yours too. I'm Arthur Weasley."

Rodolphus nodded politely. "I'm Rodolphus Lestrange," he said.

"Oh, that explains the accent," the other said knowingly. "I heard that your family was becoming more popular among the purebloods here."

"Did your father tell you that?" Rodolphus said, trying not to sound disgusted as he turned back to looking at robes. The last thing he wanted was to meet another "Father said" kind of boy.

"No, it was my mum, actually," answered the boy, pulling out a robe and frowning at the ruffles on it. "I'm glad these are finally going out of style."

Rodolphus was confused as to why the boy's mother would be up to date on the pureblood happenings, but Arthur added, "My mother used to be part of the House of Black, but she was disowned when she married Dad. She's Cedrella Weasley now. See, there she is."

The black-haired boy turned around to see a tall woman with light brown hair coming toward them. He was sure that someone should have shouted at him not to gawk at the boy and his mother. The woman had Bellatrix's black eyes, and Rodolphus was jarred into recalling the boy's words: _she was disowned_.

He heard the woman ask her son who his friend was, and promptly turned away from them. Rodolphus took the robe he'd been looking at and brought it to the seamstress, asking her to fit him for it. From her measuring stand, the short boy could see the Weasley boy watching him from the other side of the clothing racks. His mother was looking at robes and talking, but Arthur wasn't paying attention.

Rodolphus obeyed the seamstress's commands, pretending not to watch the Weasleys, but watching them all the same. It wasn't the boy's fault what his mother did, of course, but the children had to pay the price anyway.

When the fitting was done, Rodolphus thanked the woman quietly, telling her to charge her services to the House of Lestrange at Gringotts. She nodded and smiled at him, and he left quickly, passing Arthur and his mother without a word. Rodolphus caught up to his mother in the bookstore, and she looked at him in surprise.

"Already finished?" she said. "Very good. I've got the books: we'll just purchase them and be off to the apothecary."

"Okay," Rodolphus agreed. He was still unnerved at the thought of talking to the son of a blood-traitor. What would his mother say? What would his father say? Rod determined not to tell them, shaking his head slightly at the thought of a disowned Black.

The dark-haired boy followed his mother through the next three or four shops, keeping a look out for the redhead and his mother. To Rodolphus' surprise, he saw not only Cedrella and Arthur, but two other boys and an older man that had joined them. Rodolphus heard his mother hiss, "Weasley!" and didn't question her command for him to stay close.

The two families were about to pass each other when the Weasley woman said, "Hello, Meira." Her younger sons looked up, Arthur already awkwardly glancing between his mother and the other family.

"Weasley," said Meira coldly, walking right past the family, Rodolphus right behind her. She caught his hand and disapparated at the next opportunity.

"Mum, how does she know you?" Rodolphus asked her when they appeared in the entrance hall of Lestrange Manor.

"We were in the same year at school," Meira told her son, a harsh look on her face. "Both Slytherins. But she chose the wrong way, Rodolphus, and we haven't spoken since. It's the way it has to be for the blood-traitors who decide their family's beliefs don't really matter."

Rodolphus nodded, glancing down at the packages in his hands. "I'll be in my room," he said, then took the other packages from his mother. He went to his room and began to pack his books and things away. He knew his father would be taking him to get his wand soon, and he was beginning to understand why Arthur Weasley was so thrilled to be starting Hogwarts.

* * *

 **Desmond specifically wanted to take Rodolphus to get his wand, so that wasn't in this chapter. It should be in the next one, hopefully along with the trip to Hogwarts AND the Sorting. XD Thank you for reading and please review! :)**


	6. Surprise

A house-elf appeared before Rodolphus as he relaxed on the couch, reading. "What?" he snapped at it, annoyed that it had interrupted him.

"Mistress Meira wishes to see you," the elf said. "I am to take you to see her."

"Fine," hissed Rodolphus, and the book slammed shut, landing back on the shelf a little more forceful than necessary. He stood, and touched the elf's hand, a look of disgust on his face.

The elf disapparated, and the two appeared outside a door in another part of the manor. "Mistress said to knock," he told the boy, then disappeared with another _pop_!

Rodolphus scowled to himself, then knocked carefully, hearing his father call for him to enter. Pushing the door open, he walked into the room, seeing his mother lying propped up on the bed while his father sat by her side. "Mum?" he asked. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," she said with a smile. "Come here, Rodolphus." He moved closer to the bed, realising she was holding something in her arms. His heart was pounding as she said softly, "Meet your little brother."

"My…" Rodolphus stared at the infant his mother was cradling in her arms. _No…_

"His name is Rabastan," Meira told her older son, who was still staring at the baby. "He was born early this morning, June tenth."

Rodolphus couldn't speak, mostly because he was sure he'd be Cursed for anything that was immediately in his mind to say. His mother patted the bed beside her, and he walked forward as if in a daze, sitting down beside her. He didn't register his mother asking his father for something until he had left the room.

Meira Lestrange sighed and brushed her older boy's dark locks away from his forehead. "We shouldn't have surprised you, I know," she said quietly, "but your father didn't want you to know, in case something happened. You're still our firstborn, the heir."

The eleven year old didn't speak, only leaned his head against his mother's shoulder. "You can't be acting like this when your father is around," she murmured. "He'll take your reaction the wrong way. Rod—don't."

He sighed, sitting up to look down at the baby again. His brother. Rodolphus shook his head slightly, then muttered, "I don't want a brother."

Meira frowned at him, then said firmly, "Well, you've got one now, Rodolphus. If you need to be alone for a little while, I understand, but please—remember not to show any attitude to your father."

"Yes, Mother," he answered respectfully, though he was feeling angry and hurt. Why did he feel hurt about getting a little brother? It wasn't as if the brat could do anything, or make their father proud of them. Or angry with them.

Rodolphus walked from the room, making sure to avoid Desmond as the man walked back to his wife and new child. He knew that he and his father disagreed on several things, most of which his mother had smoothed over, keeping the two from arguing. She had done it again, he figured. She'd helped him keep calm and understand how he must act to keep his father from losing his temper. The Lestrange temper was not something to be laughed off.

He stepped back into the library, finding the book he'd thrown back onto the shelf. He didn't want to read anymore. The boy curled up in the window seat, looking out into the grounds of Lestrange Manor. His brother had been asleep, silent, but he'd heard from the three Black sisters about their little cousin Sirius. Rodolphus did not want to be awaken in the middle of the night because his brother was unhappy. He did not want their family to revolve around the newest little loud-mouth. He wanted it to be just he and his mother and father, but it wasn't to be anymore. He had to deal with his little brat, just as the Black sisters had to deal with theirs.

* * *

 _Rodolphus sat before a fire, waiting for the clock to strike three in the afternoon so he could fire-call the House of Black. He wondered for the twelfth time why he was doing it, especially after only receiving a note that said: "Fire-call us at three this afternoon: Ravensden. Bella."_

 _So here he was, ready to fire-call them. He wouldn't be surprised if he stuck his head in the fire, called for Ravensden, and ended up face to face with Cygnus Black. It would be just like Bellatrix to do something like that to him. Oh well. He was too curious not to do it. The letter did seem that it had been written in a hurry, and the owl had pecked him furiously because he'd dropped the letter twice before finally reading it._

 _"_ _Ravensden," Rodolphus called into the fire, and felt the strange sensation of partially traveling through the Floo Network. The sitting room of Ravensden came into view, a ten year old Bella sitting before the fire, Cissa at her side. Andromeda was not in the room._

 _"_ _Hello," Bellatrix said, sounding very displeased. "Has word gotten to you yet?"_

 _"_ _About what?" Rodolphus replied, confused already._

 _"_ _We've got another cousin," Cissa told him, the six-year-old's eyes wide and lit up with excitement. "He's so adorable!"_

 _Bella rolled her eyes at her sister. "Babies are ugly, Cissa."_

 _Cissa shot her big sister an indignant look. "You and Andy are wrong," she said shortly. "Reggie is cute, and especially more than Sirius!"_

 _"_ _Well,_ that' _s true," Bella smirked, then turned back to the face in the fire. "Aunt Walburga and Uncle Orion have two boys now," she reported, then scowled. "This one had better be better than Sirius."_

 _"_ _Bella, that's mean!" Cissa protested. "He's only almost two, and—"_

 _"_ _You were better at two years old than he will ever be," Bella said recklessly._

 _"_ _You can't say that!" Cissa said, frowning slightly. "You don't know how he'll be when he's grown up!"_

 _Bellatrix glared at the wall to the right of the fireplace. "I don't have to know, Cissa. Anyway, Rodolphus," she said, "we just wanted to let you and your family know about the new addition to the House of Black, in case you didn't already know."_

 _Rodolphus agreed politely, then asked, "What was his name, again please?"_

 _"_ _Regulus," Bellatrix enunciated, as if Rodolphus was a little slow. "Regulus Arcturus Black. Now don't forget, or—"_

 _"_ _Bellatrix Black!" Andromeda had entered the room and was walking toward her sisters, looking angry. Cissa jumped up nervously, backing away from her sisters, and Bellatrix jumped to her feet, angry at the interruption. "What are you doing! Father would be furious!"_

 _A Curse was the first thing out of Bellatrix's mouth, but Andromeda avoided it, diving to the side. Rodolphus watched Bella try to Curse Andromeda while the younger girl scolded the black-haired girl angrily._

 _Cissa had her hands clasped tightly together, then said shrilly, "If you don't stop, I'm going to get Mother!"_

 _Both girls looked to their younger sister, and then Bella stormed out of the room. Andromeda walked toward the fire, looking relieved. "I do apologize for that," she said. "You shouldn't have seen it: you shouldn't be fire-calling without an adult in the room. Bellatrix isn't the most proper child—don't fire-call us anymore. Leave it to your parents. Mother and Father will be furious when they hear—"_

 _"_ _Oh, Andy, you won't tell them!" Cissa cried. "Please! Bella's already upset—!"_

 _"_ _Hush, Cissa," Andromeda said gently, then told the boy, "Go back, please. I've got to close the Floo: it wasn't supposed to be open."_

 _"_ _Okay," he muttered. "Sorry." He withdrew from Ravensden, back to his seat by his own fire. He dearly hoped he hadn't got his family in trouble with the girls' parents, and on a different level, hoped he hadn't gotten Bella in too much trouble._

* * *

A few days later, Rodolphus was awakened one morning by his father telling him that they were to find him a wand that day. The boy slipped out of bed quickly as his father left the room, saying, "Fifteen minutes, Rodolphus. Be ready."

Yawning, Rodolphus dressed to go out, then walked out into the entrance hall. "Isn't Mum going with us?" he asked.

"No," Desmond answered. "It's just the two of us. We're going to a friend of mine, who specializes in wands used for Dark magic. We shall see if one of them chooses you."

"All right," the boy agreed nervously. He was still excited, though he hoped that the wandmaker his father knew wasn't as terrifying as the last person Desmond had taken his son to see.

They disapparated, and Rodolphus was relieved to find that he knew the place: it was the Dark Arts center of their city. He was almost disappointed that they hadn't gone off to Russia, or somewhere else known for its Dark Arts. Still, he followed his father silently, listening, although there wasn't very many people in the street. Desmond turned to his son, wandlessly putting the boy's hood up.

They entered a small shop that Rodolphus had never really payed any attention to before and Desmond called out, "Benise?"

After a few moments, an older-looking blonde woman walked out of the back room and greeted them in a low voice: "Desmond. And is this your boy? How...marvelous."

"Yes, this is my son Rodolphus," Desmond answered. "We've come to find a wand for him. I thought yours might be the best options."

"Might be," she chuckled to herself, Summoning boxes from the back room. "I've no doubt you know how to wave a wand, boy," she told Rodolphus. "You can't be Desmond's son and not know how to at least torture someone before you're six years old. Go ahead; try those."

Rodolphus wasn't sure what to say to the woman, but at a look from his father, began to test the wands. Benise watched him, shaking her head at him sometimes, and once, he jumped when she practically snatched a wand out of his hand. "Not a match!" she proclaimed. "I won't have you destroy my shop."

Desmond smirked, and Rodolphus looked at him questioningly, only receiving an order to "return to the matter at hand."

"It was too Dark," Benise told the boy, sensing his offense. "You're not dedicated: it hasn't taken you over. Those that are constantly immersed in Dark magic will be able to use that wand properly."

"Oh." Rodolphus continued to try wands, and when he picked up a beautiful cherry wood wand, he felt the magic tingle through his fingers and down his arm. He wrapped his fingers around the wand, then waved it confidently. Brilliant multi-coloured sparks shot from the end of it, and the two adults smiled at him, his father giving him a proud look.

"Very good!" Benise told him.

The price for his wand was fifteen galleons, which was more than the price for a normal wand. Rodolphus doubted it was a normal wand, and he also doubted that the one who had made them was a normal woman. "Thanks," he said to her as he and his father left the shop.

"Do it justice!" she ordered him.

 _I will_ , he promised himself, his fingers stroking his new wand: cherry and pine together, with dragon-scale infusion by Dark fire. Not a normal wand, indeed. He didn't have to ask to know that infusions weren't as common in his day as they had been a millennium before.

Desmond Lestrange squeezed his son's shoulder upon their return. "I'm proud of you," he said. "It's a fine wand. Here. Your mother bought it for you when you were out together."

Rodolphus took the box from his father and realised that it was a wand-polishing kit. "Thank you," he said again, then hurried off to find his mother to thank as well.

* * *

Both of his parents were present on Platform 9 ¾ to see him off to school, leaving Rabastan with the house-elves. The older Lestrange boy hugged his mother carefully, already having said his goodbyes at home, then awkwardly stared at his father before the man stepped forward and wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders.

"I know you'll make us proud of you," Desmond told him quietly, a confident expression on his face. "Do your best at everything, all right? And write to your mother, or she'll send you a Howler."

Meira smiled at her son. "I'll be writing too," she told him. "Remember that we love you."

Rodolphus looked up at his mum. "I love you too," he said easily, truthfully. The train whistle blew for the first warning, and he hugged his parents again before waving his wand at his trunk to send it toward the train. He walked straight toward the train, boarding without looking back. He did wave as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station, and saw his mother, waving back as she brushed away what might have been a tear. He turned around, stored his trunk away in a rack, then sat down to wait out the ride.


	7. Chapter 7: The First Year

Rodolphus Lestrange walked into the Great Hall of the school with the other first years, barely able to keep himself from gaping in shock. He was used to ornate design and detailing on buildings, but he couldn't have imagined the school to be that fancy. He could almost compare it to his own home. The boy chuckled at the thought, then glared at another first year who looked at him when he laughed.

The Sorting began. Rodolphus watched as first year after first year was sorted into one of the four houses of Hogwarts. He was watching each child so intently that he jumped a little when he heard the professor call his own name: "Lestrange, Rodolphus."

The boy walked forward, up to the Sorting Hat and stool, sitting down and allowing the witch to place the Hat on his head. "Oh, you're a confusing one," the Hat said in the boy's head. It took all Rodolphus' willpower for him not to visibly jump in shock. He'd been warned by his mother, and still been surprised.

"Yes," mused the Sorting Hat in amusement. "A Lestrange. Hmm...pureblood tradition would say Slytherin..."

 _That's what I want: Slytherin_ , Rodolphus thought sharply, aware of all the eyes on him. _Nothing else_.

"But you have a vicious temper that can barely be controlled," the Hat responded.

 _Does that matter?_ Rodolphus questioned the Hat. _The House of Black is famous for their uncontrollable tempers, and they're all in Slytherin._

"Don't get smart or I'll have to put you in Ravenclaw," the Hat complained. "I think I'll put you in my House: you're brave and loyal."

 _Which one is that?_ Rodolphus asked warily.

"Gryffindor," the Hat answered.

 _Never!_ Rodolphus burst out angrily. _I want Slytherin!_

If the Hat had been a person, Rodolphus would have happily Cursed him. He ignored the Hat's reasonings and imagined the Hat being a person so Rodolphus could show him just how "Gryffindor" he was. _What would the Hogwarts staff do,_ Rodolphus mused, knowing the Hat understood him, _if someone suddenly threw the Sorting Hat on the floor and completely annihilated_ _it?_

" **SLYTHERIN!** " shouted the Sorting Hat, and the Slytherin House table broke into applause.

Free of the Hat, Rodolphus got off the stool, smirking, and walked over to the Slytherin House table. "Hello, Rodolphus," he heard as the Sorting went on. The fifth year boys prefect introduced himself, but Rodolphus wasn't listening. He was still watching the Sorting, waiting for those he had met on the train to be Sorted.

"Prewett, Molly." The red-haired girl that had been standing near the back of the first year crowd stepped forward, and Rodolphus frowned slightly. She'd never stopped talking once she'd got into the compartment where he thought he'd been safe. He was glad she could keep her own conversation going so he didn't have to talk—and then he remembered finally where he'd seen her before.

Molly Prewett had been at one of the pureblood gatherings at Ravensden, Rodolphus remembered, wondering what the Hat was telling her. He hoped it told her that she never knew when to shut up and all kinds of things like that. _Temper indeed,_ he mused to himself, smirking.

" **GRYFFINDOR!** " the Hat declared, and Rodolphus was surprised that some of the Slytherins hissed in derision.

"Her whole family," the boy next to Rodolphus muttered. "All gone to the dogs."

Rodolphus saw that the Prewett girl had joined two red-haired boys that seemed a little older than herself. "Are those her brothers?"

The other boy frowned. "I think so."

The fourth year across the table confirmed it, then turned to look at the boy being Sorted. Last of all, Arthur Weasley. Rodolphus almost felt sorry that he had to give the boy the cold shoulder: he wondered what it would be like to have a Black for a mother. He hadn't forgotten that day in Diagon Alley when he'd met the Weasley family for the first time.

" **Gryffindor** ," said the Sorting Hat automatically as if he sorted a Weasley every day.

Arthur went to join the other redheads, and Rodolphus' new acquaintance muttered a few more derogatory comments before turning to the feast that had appeared and digging in. Rodolphus wondered how incredibly awkward life at Hogwarts would be with Mudbloods and blood-traitors: obviously he'd never had experience with anything less than purebloods and the occasional half-blood, but he hoped it wouldn't be too explosive.

* * *

The very next day, Rodolphus walked out of Herbiology, scowling to himself. He wasn't happy that he'd been stood next to some stupid Hufflepuff who kept messing up in trying to follow instructions. He'd tried to ignore the Puff, but finally told him to shut up.

He heard his name and stifled a groan. Turning, he saw the Hufflepuff walking toward him and quickly turned away again. "Lestrange!" the boy called, catching up. "You're so good at Herbiology and everything already! How do you—?"

"Don't talk to him," hissed one of the other Hufflepuffs, as Rodolphus frowned at the first.

"I grew up with magic in hand," Rodolphus answered quietly. "Unlike you." He walked away, some of the students hissing behind him. He knew the boy was a Mudblood, but he wasn't going to cause a scene over it. Rod just wanted the other students to leave him alone: he didn't want to be known as an extremist, for then he would be targeted by the Gryffs. He understood this from the other pureblood boys he'd talked to about Hogwarts.

That night, back in the Common Room, Mulciber, the boy he'd met right after his Sorting, asked him, "How do you like Hogwarts, Lestrange?"

"I think I'll pack my bags and go back to France," he answered. "The castle would be very nice, if it weren't a school."

Mulciber laughed. "Don't like school, then, do you? Good luck. You'll be here for a while." Rodolphus just shook his head slightly, pulling his parchment toward him once more. "What are you working on?"

"Writing to Mum," Rodolphus answered, then saw the incredulous look on the other boy's face and almost blushed.

"Writing to—Lestrange, grow up," he said.

Rodolphus cursed him in French, then got up and walked up to their dorm room, leaving him to wonder what kind of an extremist wrote to Mum the first day of school.

* * *

Rodolphus remembered that first day for some time, because two of the other boys took to calling him "Mumma's boy." It wasn't until he got tired of their childishness that he severely hexed the one, making the other two laugh. After a while, they left him alone, keeping to themselves. Rod couldn't have cared less: he preferred to be alone when studying.

He was glad that he was older than most of the other purebloods he knew, for he would have been embarrassed to have them see how unfamiliar he was with their school. His father had pointed this out, but Rodolphus hadn't changed his mind about wanting to attend, and his mother didn't think it would be a problem for their son to adjust. Rodolphus was glad that he'd had a year to get used to it before the others began to grow into Hogwarts.

As he got off the train at the end of the year, he greeted his father politely, then followed him from the platform. Desmond caught his son by the arm and disapparated, the train station disappearing from view. The two appeared in the Entrance Hall of their home, and Meira came hurrying forward, throwing her arms around her son. "You naughty child," she whispered in his ear. "You should have come home for Christmas!"

"Sorry," he muttered in reply, hugging her as tightly as possible without seeming too childish. He really had missed his mother a lot, but he hadn't gone home because his friends had made fun of him for how close he and his mother were.

"Come see how big your brother's got," she murmured, then led him from the room. Once they were close to the room, she turned to him and said, "He speaks more French than English, just so you know."

"Of course," Rodolphus muttered, then followed his mother into the room.

"Mum!" the small child seated on the floor said sharply, then got up and went to her, frowning at Rodolphus.

Rodolphus watched the small boy grasp his mother's skirts unsteadily, eyeing the much taller boy cautiously. "Hello," he said softly, looking at the small boy.

Meira smiled down at her second child. "Rab, this is your brother, Rodolphus. He's barely a year old, Rod."

"Hi," Rab said, his brown eyes curious, but reserved.

"Your brother's back from school," Meira said gently to the little one. "You'll see more of him before he goes back."

Rodolphus looked down at the child with light brown hair. He didn't really want to spend a lot of time with something that couldn't really talk to him, or do anything interesting. He left the room when he was allowed, almost running straight into his father. "Sorry," he said again, sidestepping the wizard before he went to his room. It was not going to be a fun summer.


	8. Chapter 8

Twelve year old Rodolphus found himself at yet another pureblood gathering at Ravensden, this time surrounded by pre-Hogwarts first years. He wanted nothing more than to sneer at them for their enthusiasm, but knew that they probably knew more about the school than he did, and he'd already attended for a year.

Rodolphus soon realised that most of the new firsties were gathered around Lucius and Bellatrix as the two talked of what they intended to do their first year. _If I didn't know better,_ Rodolphus thought to himself, _I'd think I knew Hogwarts better than they my first year._

He watched Bellatrix giggling at the thought of cursing some Hufflepuff Mudblood and heard Narcissa say, "Oh, Bella, I wish I could go this year!"

"Yes, but you're too young," the oldest Black sister said condescendingly. "You won't be old enough for several more years, Cissa."

"Andromeda will be after you, though," Lucius reminded Bella, and the girl's expression darkened.

"She won't be as interesting," Bellatrix promised, then caught Narcissa by the arm and hurried her away.

Lucius glanced at the other boys, and one said, "She doesn't seem to like Andy much."

Avery shrugged. "I think she's nice enough. I don't know why Bella wouldn't like her."

Rodolphus wondered the same thing, but also understood that he'd never really talked to Andromeda that much. He didn't say anything, continuing to listen to the others.

Malfoy, Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle rode in the same compartment as Rodolphus, who wanted nothing more than to be left alone for the journey. They were interrupted several times by other first years who didn't know what was going on, but Lucius and Payton made them understand that they weren't to be bothered. One particularly annoying boy would not go away, and Rodolphus frowned at him, wondering if the boy needed to be hexed before he would understand that he wasn't welcome.

The compartment door slammed open, and Bellatrix burst in, wand pointed at the intruder. "Mudblood," she hissed, and the boy gave her an awkward look.

"Why do you call me that?"

"Are you stupid?" Bella said in surprise, then giggled. "Well, of course you are." She explained to him in no uncertain terms that he was filth and shouldn't be speaking to them.

"Just leave," Rodolphus told the boy. "She can get nasty."

The boy looked straight at him, then at the other boys, and Bella grinned at the Mudblood's unsure expression. "I'd believe him if I were you," Bella said softly.

The boy's expression settled on defiance. "What if I don't want to leave?"

A spell burst from the tip of Bella's wand as if she'd been waiting for him to say something like that. The boy shouted in surprise, quickly succumbing to the childish hex.

Malfoy smirked, and Rodolphus almost felt sorry for the Mudblood, except that he should have known better. He'd been warned. The compartment door burst open, and a prefect snapped, "What's going on in here? Ms. Black, what have you done?"

"I was merely teaching him a lesson," she answered innocently, her smirk betraying her pride in her accomplishment. The boy had stopped hollering, though he was red in the face and was glaring at Bellatrix.

"She hexed me! And called me a Mudblood!"

"Well, you _are_ ," Rodolphus told him before he could stop himself, and the other boys just burst out laughing.

"I'm telling Professor McGonagall on you," the prefect snapped at them. "And twenty points from Slytherin."

They all smirked, but the boy said, "How could you take points if they're not Sorted yet?"

The prefect pointed straight at Rodolphus. "He's a second year Slytherin. The others—you'll understand when you've been here for a little while. That's Malfoy, Black, Nott—they're elite in our world. It's unfortunate, really, that the worst are considered the best."

"Blacks are the best," intoned Bella, and Rod almost rolled his eyes at her. She definitely sounded like she'd heard that line over and over.

"Psh," said Lucius in indignation. "You think Blacks are better than Malfoys? You've no idea."

" _You_ 've no idea," Bellatrix retorted. "You're so fine we could sift flour with you. I agree with Payton: you're much too delicate, Lucius."

Rodolphus just laughed. He couldn't help but be amused at Bella's description of Lucius Malfoy. The boy lifted his right hand, waving his sleek blond hair back into a ponytail, sneering at Bella. "When I am at the right hand of the Dark Lord—" Lucius began.

"Tortured for your own stupidity at his feet is more like the truth," Bella interrupted, and Rodolphus knew that she'd broken another rule of pureblood etiquette.

"You have no place in speaking of the Dark Lord," Lucius told her flatly, his face flushing slightly. "You do not know him. I've met him."

"And you're not dead?" Bellatrix giggled. "If you join him, I want to be there to see you whimper."

Lucius seemed to be having difficulty controlling his temper. "You will _never_ go to the Dark Lord," he told her coldly. "Your place is at home, with your husband, raising a pureblood family. A woman has no place in war, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix gave him a very mild look. "Weren't you the one who said I'd never make a good pureblood wife? We shall see who better serves the Dark Lord, Malfoy!"

Rodolphus watched Lucius glare at the eleven year old girl, then drew one of his new textbooks from his bag and began to read. He decided that if the two began to argue again, he'd put up a Silence Bubble around him. He didn't even know when the prefect and the Mudblood he'd rescued had gone, but he was glad they'd escaped.

* * *

Right after the feast, one of the professors walked over to Rodolphus and his newly sorted friends. "Lestrange, Black, you are in detention tomorrow night. I will be overseeing it; be in my office at six o' clock."

"Yes, professor," Rodolphus answered as Bella tossed her dark curls and said, "I don't see why. It isn't as if we did anything wrong."

"I expect to see you there, Ms. Black," the man said pleasantly, then turned and walked away.

Rodolphus wondered if the Hogwarts staff knew what had just arrived at their school as Bellatrix Black. He doubted, even if they expected her to be like the rest of her House, that they knew what she was capable of. Rodolphus wasn't even sure he knew, and wasn't sure he _wanted_ to know.

* * *

Rodolphus showed up for detention—his first detention ever—the first night of his second year, and Bella walked in a few moments later, smirking and laughing to herself. "Professor," she said, eyeing him expectantly.

As the boy had heard, the man gave them some menial, mindless task to do without magic, and Rodolphus set to work immediately. Bellatrix sneered for a moment before joining him, and the two worked in silence for two hours before they were released from their detention with a warning not to persecute those whom they considered below them.

Bellatrix's eyes were glittering black on the way back to the Slytherin Common Room. She was not silent for long before bursting out, "He's going to pay for this. He can't just make us do things like that because he doesn't like my view on things! The Mudblood will pay too! Don't you want him to, Lestrange?"

Rodolphus frowned for a moment as Bella watched him intently. "Well, I don't like the detention, but I did speak up when I should have been silent. My mother would have been disappointed. She'll probably send me a letter to scold now."

"If my mother did that, I'd just flame it," Bellatrix scoffed. "You should speak up more when there's something to be said."

"I'll leave that to you," Rodolphus chuckled, and Bellatrix smiled slightly. "I'm sure you can handle that."

"Ha!" said Bella, and the two were silent, both smirking all the way back to the Common Room.

* * *

Rodolphus got along with his fellow Slytherins all right, staying out of Lucius and Bellatrix's arguments even if they asked his opinion. He did not want to get in the middle of their spats. He didn't join in if the boys were talking about Bella, and he didn't join in if Bella mentioned one of the boys. However, he did find that Bella could get him in more trouble in one day than he'd ever been in his whole life.

From one letter he received from his mother, Rodolphus understood that she'd taken to burning the notices of his receiving detention so his father wouldn't see them. Rod mentioned this to Bellatrix, and she giggled before saying, "Mother and Father told me not to get anymore detentions, but I've found a way to intercept Hogwarts post going to our home. They don't get notices about me anymore."

Rodolphus thought she was brilliant, but didn't care as long as his mother got rid of all his own notices. He knew that Lucius thought he was stupid for allowing Bella to get him in trouble so much, but Lucius seemed to only use magic-less words to put Mudbloods in their place. Both he and Bella had a more explosive approach to teaching Mudbloods proper behaviour. He just wasn't sure if that was his approach, or something that Bella brought out in him.

Summer approached rapidly, and Rodolphus was glad when he finally stepped off the train, his mother greeting him almost immediately. He hugged her tightly, murmuring, "It's good to see you again, Mum."

Meira Lestrange smiled, then whispered, "Welcome back. Your brother is very excited to have you back home."

Rodolphus raised an eyebrow. "He remembers me?" he asked, drawing back from his mother. "I'm shocked." Truth be told, Rodolphus had forgotten his own little brother, and only now recalled that Rabastan was two years old now. Rod was not looking forward to seeing the child again: he did not appreciate children very much.

Desmond welcomed his son rather distantly, then led him and Meira from the station platform and disapparated. The man left his wife and son together, and she led Rodolphus down the hall, her eyes twinkling. "He's been looking forward to your returning home because I told him he would have someone to play with," Meira said. "I don't expect you to always play with him, of course, but he has been very bored all alone."

The boy scowled a little, but walked into the playroom to find his little brother seated on the floor, laughing at the remains of some toy. "What have you done?" Meira demanded of the toddler in alarm.

"It flew apart," giggled the toddler, almost tipping over in his amusement. "Hey!" he had finally spotted his brother hiding behind their mother. "Hey, look at this! It's broke!"

"He has a knack for destroying things," Meira sighed, telling Rodolphus about Rabastan's aptitude for using _Reducto_ on anything and everything. "He thinks it's funny when he makes ancient family heirlooms explode. That's why he has to stay in here so much: your father doesn't like him to be out in the rest of the house without supervision."

"I can't control someone like that," Rodolphus told her. "And I don't want to look after him."

Meira nodded, cleaning up the scraps of the toy Rabastan had destroyed. "I know you want to do your own thing most of the time, and you can," she told him. "But you will be expected to help with your brother occasionally, especially while you're here at home."

Rabastan was looking between his mother and brother, seeming to understand what they were saying. "Hey!" he said again, motioning for Rod to sit down on the floor next to him. "Do your things fly apart?"

Rodolphus sighed, refraining from rolling his eyes, and sat down next to the toddler. He couldn't help feeling that his parents definitely should have warned him about the cons of being an older brother.


	9. Chapter 9

A door slammed, and Rodolphus heard running footsteps, rolling his eyes as his little brother grabbed his arm and shook him. "Rod! Rod! Hey, Rod!" the five year old demanded his attention. "Guess what?"

"What?" Rodolphus said, sighing and looking up from his book. "What do you want now?"

"We're going to Ravensden tonight!" Raben sang, a mischievous grin on his face. "Mum just told me. Aren't you excited? You'll get to see Bella again!" He laughed at his big brother's expression, then said, "Well, you talk about her all the time. I thought you might want to see her."

Rodolphus shot up from the couch and chased his brother from the room, the smaller boy shouting with laughter as he raced down the hall.

* * *

The four Lestranges arrived in the entrance hall of Ravensden, a rather large party in full swing. Raben immediately spotted the two Black brothers, who were just his age, and hurried off to see them after receiving permission from his mother. Rodolphus saw the three Black sisters sitting close together, entertaining some of their female guests, and sighed at the thought of listening to the boys' talk of girls and the Dark Lord.

Rodolphus raised an eyebrow at his own thoughts. What a conversation that would be, he mused, trying not to smirk. He finally walked over to the boys, who greeted him politely. He returned the greeting, remaining silent for most of their conversation. Rodolphus knew that the party was to celebrate Narcissa's eleventh birthday, and watched the others, wondering when the real celebration would begin.

When the meal was announced, the sixteen year old boy sat between Payton Nott and Andromeda. Rodolphus was silent most of the time, trying to remember all his manners because the middle Black was sitting next to him. From everything Bella had told him and the boys about Andromeda, Rodolphus figured she was near perfect. He thought that was all right, but would never work for him.

He saw her murmur something to Narcissa, who had become very shy when Malfoy had spoken to her. Rodolphus turned away from them, concentrating on the food before him. He didn't want to be eating still when the real party started.

To Rodolphus' satisfaction, the young people were merely talking among themselves when Cygnus announced the dancing part of the gathering, held in his youngest daughter's honour. Rodolphus murmured to Andromeda, "Would you like to dance?"

She glanced at him, surprised, then said, "Oh, all right. Yes."

As other couples headed for the floor, Rodolphus got to his feet and offered his arm to the thirteen year old girl, noticing that she was just as tall as he was. He led her forward, the two joining the other couples. Andromeda attempted to make pleasant conversation, but Rodolphus only gave her a few short answers, and she fell silent for a few moments.

"Why did you want to dance if you didn't want to talk? What do you really want?" Andromeda asked him sharply, and he could see very much that she was Bella's sister.

"Simply to get away from the others," Rodolphus admitted. "I didn't want to be stuck talking with them again, and you were the closest."

"You are rude," she told him haughtily, and Rodolphus couldn't help grinning abashedly. "What if I'd wanted to stay there and I only danced with you out of courtesy?

Rodolphus looked straight into her eyes for a moment, then said, "I'm so sorry. Would you rather dance with Avery?"

Andromeda glared at him for a few seconds before sighing, "Of course not. I don't blame you for wanting to get away. I'd like to get away sometimes too, but—this is our duty, isn't it? I'm sure you don't have to be told that: you're your father's heir. You know about that more than I would."

The boy winced, and she smirked. "I hear Sirius complaining about his responsibility too, even though he's only six. Everyone says he'll grow into it, though." She frowned at Rodolphus. "You should already have grown into your responsibilities."

"Well—" he eyed her for a moment before replying, "I've accepted my duty to my House, but it doesn't make me happy about it. I'd like if the only thing I had to worry about was putting on a display for the world."

Andromeda gave him a strange look. "Bella said the same thing," she murmured, seeming to be considering something.

Rodolphus glanced over at Bellatrix, who was dancing with Lucius, no doubt laughing merrily at his expense. He wondered why the blond had even asked Bella to dance. Lucius didn't know half of what Bella was capable of, and Rodolphus smirked inwardly, twirling Andromeda carefully before continuing their dance.

Malfoy was completely incapable of handling a firebrand like Bellatrix, Rodolphus mused to himself, a smirk settling on his face. He'd seen Bellatrix use first and second years to practise her Dark Arts, and knew that she'd obliviated them so well they would never recall it. Bella already did things that made Rodolphus shudder, and he wondered once again how Lucius expected to become a Death Eater. Rodolphus still agreed with Bellatrix that the Malfoy was too "pretty" for blood and torture.

"Thinking of something interesting?" Andromeda asked innocently, and Rodolphus looked at her once again, almost stumbling for his distraction.

"Sorry," he muttered, his face reddening slightly. "Never mind."

"If you want to dance with Bella, you should ask her, not me."

Rodolphus raised an eyebrow at the brown-haired girl. "Why would I want that? I told you why I was dancing: I didn't want to talk to anyone."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow at him, deliberately stepping on his toes and making him trip, smirking when she easily kept him on his feet. "You can't dance with me all evening," she hissed. "Courtesy doesn't require _that_ , thank Merlin. You should ask Bella: you keep staring at her."

His face flushed again, and he muttered, "You sound like Raben. He's always teasing me about Bella. She's just a friend, someone who—"

"Who tortures first years with you," Andromeda finished for him. "Just her partner in crime. You do know that our father disapproves of her desire to be a follower of the Dark Lord? Your feelings on that, Master Lestrange?"

Her sarcastic tone infuriated him, and he tripped her this time, the girl grabbing him to stay upright. He smirked, his face inches from hers. "What your sister does is none of my business, Andromeda," he said, keeping her from moving away by tightening his arm around her. "What your sister and I do is none of _your_ business."

"I'm speaking of our father's wishes," she hissed in return.

"I am not encouraging Bellatrix to do anything contrary to her father's wishes," Rodolphus said coldly. "Quite frankly, Bella has dragged me into doing many things I did not think I would ever do. Also, quite frankly, this dance is finished."

Rodolphus left Andromeda with a group of girls and escaped to get himself a drink. Sometimes he really hated Ravensden parties, and as much as he thought he knew Bellatrix and Andromeda, they could out talk and out argue him. He sighed, draining his glass.

"Needed a drink after that one, eh?" chuckled the Greengrass boy, shaking his head. "They seem so nice, but they're downright evil. I saw her almost fall. Nice save."

"Yeah…." Rodolphus shook his head slightly. "She's usually so nice...I just don't understand girls."

"Me either," the other boy agreed, then motioned behind Rodolphus warningly. "Incoming Bella."

The Lestrange immediately turned to see Bellatrix Black standing right behind. She swore at Castiel Greengrass, then said, "Hi, Rod. Want to dance?"

Castiel raised an eyebrow. "Aren't the boys supposed to ask that?"

"Well, only if Father was listening, and he wasn't," Bella shrugged. "And Rodolphus wasn't about to ask me—or are you?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"Fiiine," Rodolphus sighed, and she smirked as he offered her his arm, leading her to the dance floor.

Bella danced as close to him as she could, ignoring Rodolphus' attempt to keep space between them. "You danced with Andy for a long time," Bella whispered, and Rodolphus couldn't keep himself from shivering as her breath tickled his neck. She giggled softly, and continued, "You haven't decided you prefer her, have you?" Rodolphus began to answer, and Bella whispered, "Because I'd have to change your mind."

Rodolphus bit his lip, then answered, "Of course not. She's confusing and perfect. I don't really appreciate that."

"Very good," Bella praised as if he were a well-trained pet. He was sure that if they'd been alone, she would have patted him on the head. "Do you know—Lucius was very sure that the two of us were still angry at him for ruining our fun the last night of last year."

"What did you tell him?" Rodolphus chuckled, shaking his head. "You're incorrigible, Bella."

"Why thank you," she smirked. "I only told him that if he gets in the way again, he'll become the victim. Do you think he'd look as pretty writhing under our curses?"

Rodolphus smirked, and Bella laughed, throwing back her head and tossing her glorious black curls. "There's no telling," Rodolphus answered. "But he shouldn't interfere now. Although Cissa probably wouldn't like your idea."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "My idea? Oh no. That was yours. In your muttered French threats after Lucius told us he might have to turn us in. You know, I think I will curse him. I hope his father stays afterward so I can have a word with the pretty Malfoy."

Rodolphus laughed outright, and Bella said, "You should be there, if you stay too. Just so he knows we both disapprove."

"He already knows," Rod cautioned her, leaning closer to her. "I just don't know if I want him to remember I was there. You probably don't care, but I don't want him to know."

"Always the careful one," Bella pouted, and Rodolphus had a very strong urge to kiss her full red lips.

Swearing at himself in his mind, he merely raised an eyebrow at her, and she grinned. "You do come in handy," she told him, then added, "Let's get another drink."

Rodolphus shook his head slightly and the two made their way through the others to the drink table, Rodolphus pouring them both a glass. Bella sipped hers daintily, but smirked at him over it, and he turned away from her, knowing that she was teasing him like she'd teased some of her older victims at school. Problem was, Rodolphus remembered every time she did it, and none of the rest of them did.

He sipped his drink, and was about to ask Bella to dance again when she piped up, "Hi, Cissy. Rodolphus wants to dance with you. He's already had a dance with me and Andy, and now it's your turn."

Both Rodolphus and Narcissa frowned at Bellatrix, then turned to each other. "If you wish," they both said, then awkwardly glanced at Bella again.

"He needs a break from me," Bella explained to Narcissa with a giggle. "Be a dear and don't bring him back until he's calmed down." Narcissa looked more alarmed than before as Rodolphus led her to the dance floor.

"We needn't talk, if you don't want to," Rodolphus told her. "Bella was just done playing for the moment."

Narcissa gave him a polite smile. "I'd rather not talk, then," she said. "Especially about my sisters."

"Of course," he nodded, and the two danced in silence as Bella watched them thoughtfully.


	10. Chapter 10: Bella's Toys

One autumn night the following school year, Rodolphus hurried down the hall after Bella. "What are you doing? Come on, Bella, don't get us detention again. Bella?" Rodolphus sighed, hurrying to catch up with the fifteen year old girl. "Where are we going?"

" _I_ am going to the Owlry," Bellatrix said haughtily. "You're following me."

"Oh, please," Rodolphus said mockingly. "And you didn't want me to follow you."

Bellatrix huffed at him. "If I told you to go away, would you?"

Rodolphus shrugged. "We're almost there anyway. Are you going to send a letter, or what?"

She rolled her eyes. "You see what I mean? You'd never leave. Come along, then." Bella led him straight to the Owlry, and Rodolphus wrinkled his nose at the mess before them. She ignored it and went straight to her owl.

"What are you doing?" he asked again.

"Shut it," she told him without glancing back. "I wrote Mother and Father about something that happened."

Rodolphus fell silent, recognizing the signs that Bella didn't appreciate his questions. He supposed it had something to do with her earlier squabble with her sister in the Common Room: the two had screamed at each other and thrown spells, all the onlookers clueless to what had happened between them. Rodolphus only knew that Narcissa had been horrified and almost panicked at their furious duel.

When Bella was done sending her owl off, she smirked and said, "I set aside some entertainment for us tonight: they're waiting for us in the old Charms classroom.

Rodolphus chuckled. "What are we waiting for?" He opened the door for her, Bella rolling her eyes at him, but she smirked all the same as the two hurried down the hall eagerly.

When they entered the room, two of Bella's prisoners hissed at them, one small Hufflepuff crying. "Aw," Bella cooed, gliding across the room to kneel down next to the bound girl. "Are you scared? Don't cry, little one. You'll be okay: we're just going to play a little bit…." She reached over and wiped away the girl's tears, which only made her cry harder.

"Leave her alone," said the fourth prisoner, an older Hufflepuff. "If you've got to hurt someone, make it me: she's only a child."

"Mudblood," Bella giggled, "we're all children, and I can do whatever I want with her."

"Let me go," sobbed the little girl, and the other Hufflepuff glared at Bella.

"How did you turn out so evil?" he asked over the girl's sobs. "And why does it seem to attract those who would otherwise be all right?"

Bella giggled again, and Rodolphus knew it wasn't going to be well at all with the victims: he only hoped that Andromeda and her Ravenclaw friend could put the Mudbloods back together again. Shaking his head slightly, he said, "Enough, Bella. Let's just get started. I'd like to get some sleep tonight."

"Enough?" she cackled, then asked, "What's your name, boy?"

"Ted," he answered defiantly. "Going to hex me now? You've been threatening to hex us all year. Finally got around to it?"

She was at his side in seconds, digging her wand into his side. "Suffer," she hissed, and her spell burned through his body, making him writhe and cry out hoarsely.

No one could hold out forever when Bella was doing her thing, Rodolphus smirked. The boy writhed under Bella's Curse, unable to keep from crying out, though he was obviously trying his best. Rodolphus saw that Bella was making the two Hufflepuffs an example, the two Gryffs trading nervous looks.

Bella eventually got bored with a simple _Crucio_ and decided to practise a more dangerous spell. Suddenly, there was blood, and the little Hufflepuff girl fainted. Rodolphus was almost glad: he was annoyed with her crying. This Ted was still attempting to resist the power of Bella's curses, but Bella had a certain look in her eyes, and Rodolphus knew that she wanted to break the Hufflepuff, even if she damaged him a little.

The Hufflepuff boy was shrieking, his body wracked with tremors from the curses by the time Bella was finished, leaving him on the floor. "I'd better stop," she mused. "The shakes already? Perhaps I ought to be more careful." She laughed darkly, then told Rodolphus, "Your turn."

Rodolphus selected one of the Gryffindors and began the torture, smirking at the contortions and convulsions he put them through. It always encouraged him when they shouted at him in defiance: it made him only want to torture them more. He understood Bella's need to break her victims to her will: there was a strong satisfaction in hearing a Gryffindor scream and beg for mercy. Bellatrix knew no mercy, and was teaching Rodolphus the concept as well.

He stepped back from his own sobbing victim to note that his seemed rather cleaner than Bella's. "Ted" had blood splattered on and around him, still twitching as Bellatrix hissed in his ear, grinning maniacally. "Done," he told her. "I think they are too."

"What?" complained Bellatrix. "Don't you want practise on the second one? I get the Gryff this time."

"No, never mind," Rodolphus said. "Let's just obliviate the girl and leave her somewhere. I don't really want to torture her: I don't like wimps."

"But you _need_ practise, and you can't have the Gryff," Bella said sharply. "Do you feel sorry for her? Is that it?" She rose to her feet and advanced on him, making him back against the wall in alarm.

"Not at all," he breathed, Bella glaring straight into his eyes, her eyes narrowed with accusation. "But I prefer victims that will at least fight back." She laughed, and he decided that he might not be in so much danger any more. "I prefer those who are like a puzzle: ones that you have to work to break."

Bella smirked, seeming to forget the others as she whispered in his ear, "Yes, one like you. You would be like that: you are a puzzle, but if anyone could break you, it would be your fault."

The second Gryffindor looked terrified, and the Hufflepuff boy breathed, "Why don't you finish the part while you've a mind to yet?"

Rodolphus didn't answer, watching Bella's expression. She was already so close to him that he couldn't move away, unable to look away. Rodolphus' curiosity got the better of him, and he leaned forward, kissing her full, red lips. It wasn't until he staggered backward against the wall that he realised she'd slapped him.

"How _dare_ you?" she screamed at him in fury, waking the Hufflepuff girl, who stared at her in terror.

The door slammed behind her as she fled from the room, leaving him with their four victims. Rodolphus bound the two they'd untied, then dashed from the room after Bella: he needed her to help him obliviate them. "Bella, wait!" he hissed after her, almost running after her in his haste.

Bella's face was flushed, her ears red when she turned to give him her best look of Black rage. "Three of them saw you! _Three,_ Rodolphus! Do you have any sense of propriety at all?"

"You're upset because there were Mudbloods in the room?" he scoffed. " _You_ put them there; don't blame me!"

She whipped out her wand, putting it to his neck. "Why would you do that? We were only to practise—"

"I couldn't help it!" Rodolphus said defensively, his accent more pronounced now that Bella had him nervous. "You...do things to me, Bella. Torturing others just makes you glow: you're so beautiful…."

Pain coursed through him and he sank to his knees, gritting his teeth to keep from making a sound. A very intense thirty seconds later, Bella slid herself onto his lap, smirking into his face. "Am I beautiful?" she whispered, then kissed him with fervor.

Rodolphus let out a pleasured moan, pulling Bella closer as he returned her kisses desperately. Bella didn't let up, pulling his hair as she grasped him possessively. Rodolphus' hands became impatient, and he slid them down to her hips, kissing her forcefully as he pressed her against him more tightly.

Suddenly, Bella pulled away, and Rodolphus bit back a cry, looking up at her, his breath ragged and uneven. "I _do_ do things to you," she smirked. "Poor Roddy." She pouted at him, then said, "I'll take care of the victims. Go take care of yourself." Giggling happily, she left him sitting there.

He swore, thinking about her, and got to his feet after several minutes, wincing for the residual magic of her Curse. He adored Bellatrix Black: he couldn't deny it anymore, to himself or her. He winced again, sighing as he thought of her touch. The boy was absolutely mad for her, hoping against hope that she would fall for him in time.


	11. Bella's mistake: What She Really Wanted

**It's been a few days since I updated, and it's short, but it's up. :) I got promoted at work and life's been weird. And I wasn't sure I liked this chapter, but anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Seventeen year old Rodolphus arrived home from Bella's sixteenth birthday party at Ravensden, his muscles aching from Bella's curses. He caught his breath sharply, stumbling to his room and Summoning an Anti- _Crucio_ potion. He drank deeply, then groaned softly at his memory of what had happened.

She knew, he had no doubt. She knew that he wanted her, but she was allowing him to suffer, playing him like she didn't care or know how he felt. Bellatrix had made sure they were quite alone, and Rodolphus was glad, because her dress wasn't particularly modest, and it was making him uncomfortable. He watched her smirk at him, turning slightly as she drew a deep breath, and bit back another groan. "Bella," he whispered, and she smirked at the desire in his voice.

"Yes, Rodolphus?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You wish to say something?"

He was staring like a perv, and couldn't help himself. "Ah, no—" he muttered, shaking his head, unable to move from the spot.

Bella pouted at him. "I thought you might be thinking something interesting," she complained.

Oh, Merlin, she was coming toward him. Rodolphus struggled to remain in control of himself in spite of his stupid hormones. She was right in front of him, her dark eyes taunting him as he struggled. A moan escaped him as Bella crossed his line of defense, her body warm against his.

"I wanted a different birthday present," she murmured against his cheek, fisting his hair before she ran her hands down his chest, boldly touching and stroking him as he gasped and moaned, writhing in her embrace. She slid her hands up to his face once more and smirked into his intensely dark eyes, giggling mischievously at his plight. "Would you like to play, Master Lestrange?" she breathed, her breath hot on his lips.

"Y—yes!" he moaned, his eyes squeezed shut. He knew there would be a price to pay, but he couldn't help himself: Bella drove him mad.

She attacked him with kisses, and Rodolphus dragged her to the wall, pressing himself against her tightly as his hands boldly explored her body. Suddenly, a redhot Curse make him cry out in pain: he'd had no warning. Bella didn't release him, kissing him senseless as he gasped with her Curse. He suddenly realised that his back was now to the wall, and she was giggling in delight as he struggled against her, unable to get free.

He couldn't think straight as Bella pressed her hips against his, and allowed words to escape him that he never thought he'd say to a sixteen year old girl. She smirked and pouted, "Ah, little Rod wants pleasure with his pain." She giggled, allowing him to pull her to the floor, kneeling astride his lap. "But Bella wants to play first."

Bellatrix released another Curse into the boy wandlessly, and he cried out, once again writhing beneath her as she sighed in pleasure before kissing his lips, silencing his moans of longing. She could feel his desire, and it excited her, making her want to torture him more. "Does it feel good?" she murmured, moving her hips against his as he cried out under her next Curse. "I found out that you're a lot of fun to torture last year. I've thought and thought about it, and I thought you'd like to learn to play: no one else could do it like you."

"Yes!" he cried, unable to think with her on top of him. "Oh, Bella, yes!" Her hands were moving again, and he moaned with pleasure, tightening his grip on the young woman. "Bella, you're so good!"

Another hoarse cry escaped him as Bellatrix placed both her hands on his lower back, a _Crucio_ tearing through his body. Seconds later, he screamed, "B—Bella, I—"

She stopped her Curse, her hand rubbing over his back as she murmured, "Well, I can't allow that yet." He cried out in want, and she gently rocked him in her arms. "Tell me what you want," she breathed in his ear as he trembled in her arms, his face hidden in her shoulder. "Beg for it. Beg for your need."

"Please, Bella!" he almost sobbed, trembling as he clung to her. "Curse me. Finish it. Make it take me there."

"Do you want it?" Bella cooed softly, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead as if she were about to grant him a special wish. "I don't think you want it enough…."

Rodolphus' magic crackled through his hands, coursing through Bella in an intense Curse as he cried out, "Please, Bella, do it! I want to play!"

Bellatrix shrieked with triumphant laughter as his Curse ran through her body, making her writhe against him. "Ah," she breathed, pressing her lips to his cheek before she pushed him to lie on his back on the floor. "You see it works both way."

Rodolphus was about to reply, but her most intense Curse yet made him scream out, arching his back in his struggle against the pain. Bella hissed with pleasure as his Curse flowed through her body, making their magic combine and intensify both the pain and the pleasure.

It was more than enough. Both teens shrieked through the high, clinging to each other until it was over, and they lay there in the aftermath, both panting for breath, both flushed with heat.

He had his eyes closed, Bella nestled against his chest as they struggled to catch their breath. Finally, he shoved her off him. "Too hot," he muttered, flicking his wand, and she smirked, knowing exactly what spell he'd done.

"Am I too much for poor Roddy?" Bella cooed softly. "Do I need to find another for my birthday next year?"

"Bitch," he muttered in French, still fuzzy-brained from her touch, "I can make it your birthday every day."

She shrieked with laughter, then said, "We shall see. For now, you should probably go home. Here." She walked over to him, hauled him to his feet despite his gasp of pain, and disapparated. "Goodbye," she smirked as they appeared away from Ravensden. She kissed him intensely before stepping back and disapparating.

With a small groan of pleasure and more pain, Rodolphus disapparated to his own home, hoping he wouldn't see his parents.

Back in his room, Rodolphus curled up on the bed, determined in his mind to have the young woman who so captivated him. He would have to speak to his father about getting young Bellatrix Black for himself.


	12. Chapter 12

Desmond looked up at the door of his study, frowning. "Come in," he said, recognizing his son's magic. Seventeen year old Rodolphus Lestrange entered his father's study, something different in his countenance. "You have something to discuss with me?"

"Father, I—" the boy swallowed hard, and closed his eyes for a moment before going on. "I want Bellatrix Black to be my wife."

"Ah." Desmond leaned back in his chair and watched his son for some minutes. "Finally realised that, didn't you? It's been obvious to me for some time that you're quite taken with her."

"Oh." The boy's face flushed slightly. "Yes sir."

Desmond smirked. "I was beginning to wonder if I needed to arrange your marriage for you, but I see I needed just a little more patience." He laughed, then slapped the desk. "Come over here. Let's draw up the proposal together."

Rodolphus walked around his father's desk, sitting down next to the older man and beginning to listen to his father talk. Nearly three hours later, the proposal was written, signed, and sealed. Desmond motioned his son to take the letter. "Send it with my owl," he said. "Tell the owl that the letter is to arrive in immaculate shape, or he'll be dinner for the dogs."

The boy smirked. "Of course, Father," he said, then left the room.

Desmond Lestrange leaned back in his chair, thinking of his son and the oldest Black girl together. He chuckled to himself. Rodolphus would have a struggle getting anything he wanted, but then, Meira had given him a little trouble at the beginning of his own marriage. Bella Black was nothing his son couldn't handle.

* * *

"Rodolphus."

The boy turned to see who it was answering the door, asking, "Bella? Oh, sorry. Hi, Andromeda."

The brown-haired witch frowned at him. "You and your father are to meet with mine in the study," she said politely. "Mother is out right now, you see."

No wonder the girl was at the door, Rodolphus mused to himself. He and his father walked forward, Andromeda leading them to the study. "Father will be joining you presently," she told them. "I will let him know you have arrived."

 _Shouldn't he already know_? Rodolphus wondered. _Maybe not all ancient wards work the same way. Thank goodness for ancient magics._

Less than three minutes later, Cygnus Black joined them there, the proposal from the two Lestranges in his hand. He nodded at Desmond, then frowned at Rodolphus. "So," he said sharply, "you want my daughter."

"Yes sir," Rodolphus managed to say, forcing himself to speak clearly and evenly.

"Why should you have her?" Cygnus demanded, throwing the letter down on the desk and taking a seat opposite them.

Rodolphus stared at her father, mostly distracted by his brain's misplaced thought that Cygnus' eyes looked like Bella's eyes. He almost swore aloud, but managed to gather himself together. "We are closer in age than several of the other young men would be," he answered, making sure his voice didn't shake. "We've been closely acquainted for several years. Also, our bloodlines are strong separately, but are not as closely related as most others, and will combine to bring forth powerful offspring."

Cygnus chuckled to himself, then seemed to bring his attention back to the visitors. "Anything else?"

The boy shifted uncomfortably. "I want her to be my wife, sir. More than anything else in the world."

Desmond looked disapproving at his son's statement, but Cygnus looked at the boy calculatingly. "I see," he said. "Well, I will think it over and let you know within two weeks."

The two Lestranges thanked him and left the house.

* * *

"Rodolphus!" his father exploded when they arrived at their home. "Why did you say that to him?"

"I do!" Rodolphus shouted back, his nerves getting the better of him. "I adore her, Father! It just felt like the right thing to say!"

"If you've messed this up," his father growled at him, "I will not be pleased with you. I've done everything in my power to make sure it would go right. It's all on you."

Rodolphus walked up to his room without another word, hoping desperately that something he'd said would make their match possible in the eyes of Bella's father.

* * *

Rabastan ran into the room, grabbing his brother and shouting with laughter. "Rod, guess what?" The seven year old boy doubled over with laughter, then gasped, "I was playing with Grandfather's old wand, outside, and I shot down this owl—I think I killed it. But it had this letter from someone. I couldn't read it. My spell messed up the outside a little bit."

Rodolphus peeled his little brother off of him, then took the letter from the boy's hand. "That's the House of Black seal," he said to his brother disapprovingly. "You should recognize that, Raben."

"Aw, come on!" protested the boy. "You're the one who's got to carry on the family and that rubbish. I don't have to know all that as long as I don't embarrass the family by looking stupid. You look stupid, but at least you know things."

"Thanks," Rodolphus muttered, distracted by opening the damaged letter.

"What is it?" Rabastan pestered his brother, grabbing Rod's wrist. "Is it another party invitation? You're not a party person, Rod."

"And you are?" Rod snorted. "Sometimes I wish _you_ were the heir. _You_ could go 'mingle' with the company. You could dance with every ugly pureblood witch there ever was just to be polite. See how you like that!"

Rabastan rolled his eyes. "Find a way to deny them. You're not at the mercy of women—"

Rodolphus stared at the letter. "He said yes!"

The younger boy raised both eyebrows. "Excuse you, Lestrange?"

"He—he said that Bella and I will be married the summer after she finishes school," Rodolphus breathed. "Sweet Merlin."

"I thought it was Bella—"

"Shut up," Rodolphus told his brother with a huge grin. "Oh, YES!"

Rabastan edged around his brother, and upon reaching the doorway, went running through the corridors of Lestrange Manor shouting, "Mother, Father, Cygnus said yes! Roddy's getting married!"

The seven year old boy shouted quite a few other things too, but Rodolphus raised an eyebrow, wondering at the knowledge and vocabulary of his younger brother. _I am a bad influence,_ he realised, chuckling to himself.

Meira Lestrange entered the hall, hurrying toward him and asked, "Is it so?"

"Got the letter right here," Rodolphus said, his grin back. "Bella's promised to me."

"Oh, Rodolphus!" Meira said excitedly, hugging her son firmly. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," he said as Rabastan appeared on their hall, breathless from running across the entire mansion. "Are you done?"

"I'm as done as your shit-eating grin," Rabastan retorted. "Is it a family secret, Mum?"

Meira Lestrange looked over at her older son, who nodded. "It's to be a secret until Bellatrix's seventeenth birthday party, when our engagement will be announced," Rodolphus told the two. "So don't you dare tell anyone."

Raben rolled his eyes. "I won't have to. They'll look at you and know you've been out with Bella again."

Meira raised an eyebrow at her sons. "Is this something I need to know about, boys?"

"No," they said together, although Rabastan was grinning mischievously.

"Rodolphus," came Desmond's voice, and all three looked up. "The letter, please?"

Rodolphus handed it over immediately, the three falling silent as Desmond read the letter. "Good," said the older wizard after several minutes. He reached out and clapped his older son on the shoulder. "Very good, Rodolphus. She will be a nice addition to our bloodline." He walked on down the hall, and Rodolphus' grin returned, Rabastan rolling his eyes and leaving them.


	13. Chapter 13

**I know I haven't updated. No excuses for me. Although tonight/today I've been up for 23 hours and here's the next chapter! XD Hope you all enjoy!**

The next time Rodolphus visited Ravensden, Bellatrix was nowhere to be seen, and Andromeda begrudgingly kept him company, although she hid it well. "I do apologize for her absence," Andromeda told him. "It isn't like her."

"It is," Rodolphus nodded. "I think she's avoiding me, but I can't figure out why. Did her father tell her already?"

"I—yes, she knows," Andromeda answered hesitantly. "Bella's not a dreamer like Cissa, neither an idealist like me. She doesn't like to be roped into anything, but she'll come around to see that it'll be all right."

"She's not happy?" Rodolphus said, finally realising what his fiance's sister was trying to tell him.

"She—Rodolphus," sighed the brown-haired young woman, "Bella's a free spirit who hates being locked up. She just needs time to accept her pureblood duty."

Rodolphus snorted involuntarily. "She hasn't yet?"

Andromeda smiled at his naivete. "She's hardly the submissive, family type," she said quietly. "I'm sure you'll see her soon. Be prepared for anything."

The eighteen year old boy could have rolled his eyes at her, but didn't. He was never prepared for Bellatrix's attacks on his mind, or his body. She was more than he could handle and he knew it, but it wouldn't stop him from making her his own.

* * *

Nearly a week later, Rodolphus was lying across his bed, reading a book, when a knock sounded at his door. He sighed and rolled out of bed, tossing the book aside. The instant he opened the door, he froze, staring into his fiance's dark eyes.

"I heard you want me," she said in a low voice.

Rodolphus couldn't even reply, just staring at her. With a huff, Bella walked forward into the room, the door swinging shut behind her as she faced him. She seemed to be quite determined about something, but just a little nervous.

"Has Roddy forgotten how to talk?" she cooed, moving closer to him and sliding her body against him. "Aw, poor Roddy."

"Bella—" he began, and she giggled.

"He talks!" she smirked at him.

He wanted to say something, but she stopped him, her small hand on his chest. "Don't talk now," she told him and laughed when she felt a tremor go through his body. "Rodolphus—" she seemed more nervous now "I've been to see the Dark Lord."

Rodolphus stared at her in shock. He knew that her father definitely disapproved of her desire to join the Dark Lord, and completely agreed that distant approval was the stand to take about the war. "What happened?"

"He wants me to join him," Bellatrix hissed in her fiance's ear. "And I want you to come with me. Tonight."

"Bella," Rodolphus said sharply, his silence gone, "your father—"

"I am promised to _you_!" Bella shouted at him, then seemed to regain her composure. "I do not belong to my father's house anymore," she finished. "I am betrothed to you."

Rodolphus noticed that she definitely struggled to get those words out. "Why, Bella?"

Bellatrix raised an eyebrow. "Why? Why the Dark Lord? And his cause? Rodolphus, the Dark Lord has power unimaginable. If you could but see him—we could have that power, Rodolphus. I will have that power. Whether you choose it—or not."

He watched her for a few moments, then said, "Power, Bella? You would become a servant for power?"

"It is an honour to serve the Dark Lord!" Bella insisted, her eyes flashing. "We will put the world to rights again: destroy the filth that is invading _our_ World. Rodolphus, you know that the number of purebloods is getting smaller and smaller. It's because of out-breeding! If there were no Mudbloods, and the others were subdued, then it wouldn't be so drastic. There are endless reasons, Rodolphus. Come with me to the Dark Lord and you'll see. I'm going, even if you decide it isn't worth it."

"Bella," he sighed, but turned back to his wardrobe to get his cloak. "All right."

"Hurry," she told him. "We've got five minutes."

"Five—" sputtered Rodolphus as they hurried down the hall together. "Five minutes to get to the Dark Lord. Or what?"

Bellatrix hissed at him. "Or I will give you the _shakes_ ," she spat.

Rodolphus was definitely alarmed at her statement. She was going to torture him if they were late—torture him so much he was on the brink of brain damage. Sounded wonderful. He quickened his pace, and the instant they were outside the gates and wards, Bella grabbed his hand and disapparated.

They appeared at a dark mansion that Rodolphus did not even recognize. He felt a terrible sense of dread, but kept up with Bella until they arrived at the front door, and she set off the chimes in the mansion. Seconds later, she raised her hand, her wand visible before the doors, which clicked open, admitting them silently.

Rodolphus followed Bellatrix into the mansion, her striding down the hall so fast he had to hurry to catch up. She obviously knew her way around the place, stopping at a guarded door. The wizards before the door seemed to glare straight through him, but Rodolphus stood silent, forcing himself to look unconcerned.

The dark-haired witch lifted her face and sneered at the guards. "The Dark Lord is expecting us: unbar the doors."

The guards obeyed, and Rodolphus marveled that they would obey Bella's command without question. Perhaps he wasn't the only one (beside every Hogwarts student they'd gone to school with) that was mesmerized and intimidated by her—

"Head up! Don't fail me!" Bellatrix hissed as they stepped into the room.

 _I'll never fail you_ , Rodolphus thought. He never wanted to fail the beautiful, dangerous witch who was to become his wife.

A dark-haired man looked up at the two and smiled at the young woman. "Bellatrix," he said almost fondly. "Welcome. And who have you brought with you?"

Bellatrix stepped forward, no longer a hint of nervousness in her. Indeed, she seemed to have grown up in the seconds that the man had spoken to her. "My Lord," she began, inclining her head respectfully, though still standing tall and proud before him, "I have brought my fiance, Rodolphus Lestrange, to you. We wish to join your cause together, for we are promised to each other."

"Ah," the man nodded, coming forward and touching the side of her face while smiling into her eyes.

Fury filled Rodolphus at the expression on Bella's face, and jealousy stormed inside his mind. _Get away from her! She's mine!_

Rodolphus was suddenly face with a very stern, cold Dark Lord. "She does not belong to you yet, _boy_ ," he hissed, glaring straight into Rodolphus' eyes.

He looked away, not wanting the Dark Lord to be able to use Legilimency on him. This proved completely useless as he chanced a glance at Bellatrix. "He loves you, Bella!" the Dark Lord mused thoughtfully. "How wonderful to be betrothed to someone who loves you!" He laughed coldly, but did not turn to Bella. Instead, he touched the young man's face.

Chills ran through Rodolphus, his mind horrified at what he knew was happening, but his mind was too clouded, too confused to be able to shut out the Dark Lord completely. He couldn't move, knowing that he would lose Bellatrix if he made a single move away from the wizard who was so invading his mind.

"You didn't want to come?" said the Dark Lord. "But you did. Oh, not of your own will. Of course not! Bellatrix left it up to you, though. She can be so persuasive, can't she?" He turned to her proudly. "Well done, Bella. You have proven yourself yet again."

He turned to us delightedly. "Who wants to go first?"

"I do, my Lord," Bella said eagerly, but he was staring straight at Rodolphus.

"I think that young Lestrange should be first," he said, smiling. Rodolphus knew he would be unnerved by the Dark Lord's expression if he hadn't been already. "To show the lady how it's done."

He stepped forward, offering his left arm to the Dark Lord as Bellatrix gritted her teeth at the Dark Lord's words. The man pushed up Rodolphus' sleeve, looking at his arm for a moment, then hissed, " **Morsmordre!** "

He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out in pain. His arm was burning as if it was on fire, a symbol appearing on his left forearm. Fear struck deep into his heart as the Mark implanted itself in his magic. It was a parasite, forever imprinted on his precious magic, to trace him or call him whenever the Dark Lord wished.

When Rodolphus opened his eyes, Bellatrix had already held out her arm to the Dark Lord, her sleeve rolled up already. The young man watched, biting back a hiss of pain and more anger as he watched the Dark Lord take hold of Bella's arm, gently caressing her smooth, soft skin before wrapping his fingers around her forearm and hissing, " **Morsmordre!** "

Bella did not cry out, or even wince. Her eyes burning black as the newly-formed Mark on her arm, she looked up at her master and promised, "My Lord, I will follow you to hell and back."

He laughed. "I'm sure you will, Bella." He then raised his hand, extending the room out and revealing already-gathered and masked Death Eaters. "We are going to have a little...fun tonight. Bellatrix and Rodolphus will be joining us. Dolohov, fill them in before you leave." He disapparated directly out of the room, and the other Death Eaters immediately began to rush off.

Bellatrix turned toward a Death Eater that was striding toward them, and Rodolphus followed her. He didn't want to go out for the Dark Lord's "fun," and he was beginning to feel ill as his magic tried to acclimatize to the foreign magic present in his system. He listened for Bella's sake, trying to ignore his own feelings, and moments later, Dolohov disapparated with them in tow.

Bellatrix strode forward into the fray as the Death Eaters began to cause a ruckus in the Muggle village. Rodolphus quickly caught up, not wanting to be alone, and he assumed that Bella would be more familiar with their surroundings.

"Cause a ruckus, you idiot!" Bella hissed at him, throwing spells at fleeing Muggles and causing structural damage to the houses. "We're here to be terrifying and show the power of Wizardkind!"

"Oh, yeah," muttered Rodolphus. "Generally cause trouble and—ow!" His Mark flared slightly, making him feel a little more ill. He swore under his breath, forcing himself to forget everything but where he was and what he was doing.

Minutes later, he was face to face with a Muggle, and Bella glared at him for a short distance away, smoke obscuring her face. He cursed the Muggle after a split second's hesitation, and hurried to join Bella, who was gathering with several other Death Eaters, some victims bound on the ground before them.

"Will the authorities arrive?" Rodolphus asked Bella, and she shushed him.

"There's no alarms here," she answered in annoyance. "Listen!"

"Whom shall we torture?" one of the senior Death Eaters shouted, and there were terrified cries from the Muggles.

Bellatrix giggled in glee, striding forward and grabbing a teen girl around her own age. "This one!" she shrieked.

The girl stared around at another Muggle. "Mum!" she cried. "No, please, don't!"

The woman stared at Bellatrix and her daughter, unable to speak. " **Crucio**!" Bellatrix hissed, and the girl writhed and screamed, no resistance to the brutality of the Curse.

"Please stop!" cried the woman, her tongue finally loosed. "Let her go! Don't hurt her!"

"Aw, is mummy's little girl hurting?" Bellatrix cooed, amid laughter and jeers from the other Death Eaters.

"Stop, you freak!" screamed the woman in horror, rising from the ground as if she would run at Bellatrix.

Without thinking, Rodolphus cast a punishing Dark spell on the woman, her falling to the ground and screaming endlessly as her body seemed to change shape continually. The filthy Muggle would never call his Bella a freak again, he'd make sure of that. Bellatrix was smirking as she continued to play with the young girl for a few minutes before Dolohov told them they'd have to move on.

Bella left her victim sobbing on the ground, Rodolphus' victim completely unmoving now, her body completely twisted out of shape. They arrived back at the mansion, Dolohov and the two called back to report on the general raid. Voldemort looked to Bella and Rod, chuckling a little. "Had some fun, Bella?" he asked softly.

"Yes, My Lord," she said breathlessly, her face seeming to glow a little. "Thank you."

"Of course, Bella," he smiled. "You have great promise."

"And you, Rodolphus—" the Dark Lord seemed to regard him for a moment, and Rodolphus got the feeling his new master was laughing at him. "Less hesitation next time."

"Of course," he answered.

Bella hissed angrily. "Yes, _My Lord_ ," she hissed at him.

Voldemort laughed. "You'll be good for him, Bella. Teach him to be one of us, won't you?"

"Yes, My Lord," she promised, without glancing at the wizard in question. "Anything else?"

"You are quite earnest, Bella," he mused. "You'll be called quite often, as soon as you're available all the time."

"Thank you," she breathed when he dismissed them, and the two left the mansion together.

The instant they were back in Rodolphus' room at the Lestrange Mansion, Bellatrix advanced on her fiance, a fierce look in her eyes. _Oh God she's angry,_ was his first thought, but she merely jumped him, the two falling backward onto the bed.

"You did well for your first time," she whispered before she kissed him, feather-soft. "But you'll get better—we'll be a team."

"Of course," he said, his arms reaching around her as she smirked knowingly.

"But for tonight," she whispered, and reached for the clasp on his robes, "I think you deserve a reward."


	14. Chapter 14

**Update! This part between Rod's childhood and his full-time Death Eater life is making itself difficult for me. It'll probably be slow going in this story for the next two or three chapters, but then the plotline will start moving quickly. There will be more to come soon, because I'm on vacation now, for the next three weeks (even if I only leave my house for one week (yes, it's complicated)). Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Rodolphus accepted his new side job wholeheartedly once Bella had explained to him how pleased she was that he'd gone and joined up with her. She had absolutely blown his mind that night after they'd got back to the Lestrange Mansion. Rodolphus smirked at the memory: he'd chosen his wife well.

It had been a year since he and Bellatrix had taken the Dark Mark, and she had rigorously trained him how to act and what to do. It was simple, of course, now that he knew what the Dark Lord (and Bella) expected of him.

Bellatrix had graduated from Hogwarts, and was gone most of the time. Rodolphus supposed that she was discussing their future as Death Eaters with the Dark Lord. The young man couldn't have cared less: it was time that Bella became his wife.

The wedding was a large affair, with many guests and all, but Rodolphus only saw Bellatrix Black—Lestrange, now. She took his breath away the instant she entered the room, escorted by her father. She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, sliding against him ever so slightly as she stood at his side, facing the priest.

Bella smirked, hearing him draw a sharp breath. It wasn't until they were facing each other that he looked straight into her eyes, her hands clasped in his. She was so beautiful...he kissed her modestly enough, but with promise, and she was almost giggling when he drew back. Rodolphus didn't even hear the whispers and two or three outright laughs: he was focused on his new wife.

It wasn't until they were thanking their guests for attending that Rodolphus saw Bella's two sisters heading their way. "Bella!" Narcissa cried softly, colliding with her oldest sister in a big hug. "It was perfect. You're so beautiful!"

Andromeda regarded the two for a moment until Bella had finished embracing Narcissa before stepping forward and hugging Bella as well. "It was marvelous," she murmured. "You did well, Mrs. Lestrange."

Rodolphus was never quite sure why Bella allowed her magic to crackle so fiercely as she pinched her sister in the ribs. Andromeda drew back without a complaint. "I hope you're happy," she said calmly, then walked off.

"Bella," Cissa said awkwardly, then sighed. "I'll talk to you later. Goodbye." The young blonde girl walked off to join her parents, not looking back.

"Aw, Bellaboo," Sirius smirked. The ten year old Black heir had just walked up to them, his friend James right behind him. "Hope you're happy," he laughed at her. "Now be a good hostess and have lots of children."

Sirius laughed merrily at his own joke, but James merely cracked a polite smile and nodded at the two distantly. Bellatrix smiled sweetly at Sirius. "If I ever have the honour of your staying under my roof, I'll make sure the house-elves keep track of your cup."

James raised an eyebrow. "Just hex him right out," he told her. "It's more fun that way."

Rodolphus looked at the Potter heir sceptically. "Have you ever done that, Potter?"

"Yes," James shrugged. "He was being a dumbass about something or other, so I shut him up."

"Ha!" Bellatrix smirked. "Move along now, boys. There are others behind you."

James dragged Sirius away before the other boy could respond, and Rodolphus told Bella, "I don't think they're good for each other."

Bella practically shrugged. "They're in the same pureblood circle," she answered. "It's just the way it is for now, probably." She embraced her younger cousin Regulus when he walked by with Crouch Jr., who was a year younger than him. "Where's Rabastan?" Bella asked them.

"With his parents," Regulus answered, awkwardly hugging Bella.

Rodolphus wondered why the House of Black was so awkward, but quickly remembered that they weren't very friendly, and didn't hug anyone very often. _Well, no practise make awkward,_ Rodolphus thought to himself.

The two smaller boys walked off together, and Rodolphus' parents walked over to them, Rabastan there. "It's not fair that you're leaving me alone," Rabastan complained, hugging his brother. "Now I'm the only one Dad's got to yell at."

"I'm not leaving you," Rodolphus scoffed, rolling his eyes at his brother. "Bella's coming to stay with us."

"With _you_ ," muttered the younger boy, adding a few choice phrases in French.

"Rabastan!" his mother said sharply, but Bella just giggled as Rodolphus shook his head at his brother. "We'll see you in a few days," she added to the couple after she'd embraced her older son.

Desmond Lestrange didn't even speak to his son, but embraced his new daughter-in-law, kissing her on both cheeks. "Welcome, daughter," he murmured, and she replied softly enough that Rodolphus didn't hear her reply.

Rodolphus was glad when he was free to take Bella and leave, heading away from the rest of their families for a while. He led Bella to the apparition point and wrapped his left arm around her, apparating to his chosen getaway.

"Where are we?" Bella asked, glancing around when they had arrived.

"Seaside town in northern France," Rodolphus replied. "My family is from the plains, but we're not there, obviously. I didn't want to be anywhere near them. I imagine you wanted to be away from your family as well?"

"Yes," she smirked, leaning against him for a moment.

He led her down the street a little way, Bellatrix frowning at the people around her. "It's a mixed community," he answered her question. "Muggles and all. They shouldn't bother us as long as we aren't obvious."

Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at her new husband's words, then shook her head slightly, following him. Rodolphus led her to a small-looking sort of office building, and she looked at it sceptically.

"No, no," Rodolphus scolded her, almost rolling his eyes. "I would never—it's just that we've got to get you keyed into the wards, and only this man here can do it. I'm already in, and I've got the keys, but you haven't been here."

"I should hope you wouldn't," Bella smirked. "Because I wouldn't, if you did."

Rodolphus didn't have time to think on that, turning to the man who had answered the door of the small office. "Hello, sir," he said. "It's Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange."

The man glanced between the two, then motioned them to step closer. "He's already in the wards," he told Bella. "Just allow me to key you in, as well..."

Bella was still for only seconds as the man placed the tip of his wand on the top of her head. She glared at him when he stepped back and said, "There you are. Have a great weekend."

Rodolphus nodded, slipping his arm around Bella and leading her away. Rodolphus brought her to the small, ornate cottage he'd rented, grinning boyishly as he opened the door for her. She seemed to sneer for a second before she swept past him into the house, but Rodolphus didn't mind, following her quickly.

He joined her in the sitting room, where she was standing there, inspecting a spot on the wall. "What are you staring at?" he chuckled softly, coming up behind her and slipping his arms around her. "Surely nothing here is _that_ interesting."

Bella allowed him to embrace her as she stood there, distantly studying the room. It was only when Rodolphus pressed a kiss to her neck that she asked, "Rodolphus, why did you bring me here?"

"Because I wanted you to myself for a while," he replied truthfully. "We do have to go back, eventually, obviously, but I figured we could get away for a few days. This is a little known place, not even a village, just a few small seaside cottages. It doesn't have many visitors."

"It's so…." Bella twisted to face her new husband. "Dirty."

"It's a summer cottage, Bella," he answered. "They couldn't have got all the dirt out of it—do a cleaning spell if it bothers you."

Bellatrix's mouth opened slightly as she stared at him. "I am no house elf!"

Rodolphus raised an eyebrow, then performed the cleaning charms on the room. "There aren't any house-elves here," he told her. "There's no one to see you use magic to clean something because there isn't any other way. We're the only ones who'll be going in and out of this house until we leave."

The oldest Black sister glared straight into his eyes. "I will not be a housekeeper—"

"Of course not!" Rodolphus said impatiently. "I didn't say that! I meant that—never mind, I'll take care of it." He released her and walked away a little. "It's not as if you'd know how to do a good cleaning charm anyway."

"Ha!" said Bella, and Rodolphus turned around, seeing her smirk.

"You don't, do you?" Rodolphus said, laughing. "My mother taught me ages ago. I guess if your parents don't make you practise—"

Bella shuffled across the room and smirked directly in his face. "Why would I practise cleaning when I have you? I assume you didn't get rid of your house elves?"

Rodolphus raised both eyebrows. "God, no. Mum can't handle Rabastan without the house elves' help. Bella, you know we have house-elves. You used to chase them when you came over."

She giggled, leaning against him slightly. "Why don't you show me around the rest of this servant-less place?" she said. "Or maybe just the sleeping quarters."

"Or the bed," he murmured against her ear, making her giggle. "Or anywhere you want, really."

"Here's good," Bella smirked, and pulled him down to her, both sinking onto the couch. "You've never really been _that_ shy."

Rodolphus took her, and for the first time, he felt that she might have been just as eager as he was.


	15. Chapter 15

The first year after they had married was filled with intense training for both young Death Eaters. Bella definitely had more experience in the Dark Arts, but Rodolphus learned to match Bella spell for spell until she was pleased with his improvement.

Still, whenever Rodolphus stood with Bella before their master, he felt as if he stood there alone. Bellatrix didn't care if he did something stupid and died: she only wanted a share of the Dark Lord's power. Rodolphus understood that, in the circle, he didn't matter to his wife at all.

He and Bella were sent on missions together, and it never crossed Rodolphus' mind that it was probably because they understood how the other dueled, not because they were husband and wife. Rodolphus loved watching Bellatrix duel so much that he had to be very careful not to let her distract him from battling his own enemies.

Once he realised the danger, he did his best to always stay by Bella's side. She always encouraged him to do his best and forget that he was harming innocent people. It wasn't as if he ever felt sorry for torturing filth, but Bella just made it easier. She made being a Death Eater look beautiful.

Rodolphus loved Bella, even when she was distant. He always had fun teasing her out of her silence, because it was then that she was most playful. He knew he was probably one of the four or five that had ever seen Bella in a playful mood. Bellatrix seemed to have decided to try being nice and sweet just for her husband, to see how he would react, and Rodolphus just adored her for it.

One evening, however, on their anniversary, Bellatrix had told him to go ahead down to the beachfront. They had been staying by the beach in honour of their anniversary while stalking Order members for the Dark Lord. How cool was that?

Rodolphus headed down to the beach alone, his cloak blown about by the sea breeze as he grinned to himself about Bella shoving him out the door of the cottage. She hadn't changed in a year, he thought to himself. She still refused to use a simple cleaning charm on the rooms.

He walked out toward the rocks so he could feel the spray, putting a waterproofing charm on his clothes and hair. It wasn't until he had turned around and was already walking across the rocks that he realised what he was seeing. A beautiful silver-haired woman stood merely yards away from him, beckoning him close.

Rodolphus obeyed without hesitation, believing the woman to be the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Quickly, he got to her, reaching for her, and—Rodolphus moaned at the woman's touch, so soft, yet so arousing. He would have her, or he would die.

She was laughing as he desperately kissed her, beginning to undress her. He didn't register the woman's amusement, merely enjoying the feelings running through him. Rodolphus shoved the woman against a nearby boulder, the sea spray blowing over both of them as he hissed to her in French. She was his.

After several minutes of pure bliss, Rodolphus' happiness was interrupted as the Veela stiffened beneath him and fell. He felt the residual magic and realised she'd been cursed, whirling around to see his own wife staring at him in shock, screaming at him in disbelief. Bellatrix looked heartbroken, crying out in anguish.

"You _killed_ her," he shouted at her in growing fury, unable to control his temper. "You—" his book-learned vocabulary came in handy as he yelled at her that she was filth and that he never should have looked twice at her. "You are _nothing_ compared to her!" Rodolphus' magic crackled, and before he could think of what he was doing, he'd shrieked, " **Avada Kedavra!** "

Bellatrix jumped out of the way, gasping with shock, nearly sobbing in horror. "You want to kill me?" she said tremulously, the image of a good, happy marriage disappearing from her imagination. "I'm sure you do." Her voice grew stronger as her sorrow turned to anger. "You think I'm nothing, Rodolphus Lestrange? You have no idea what I am. You'll pay for this your entire life, dear husband." She spat the last two words at him, then ran from him, running back up toward the cottage.

Rodolphus looked down at the lifeless Veela, the truth suddenly dawning on him. "Dear God," he breathed, realising what he had done. "Oh, Bella, I didn't mean to—"

He ran after her, still confused by what had just happened. "Bella!" he called after his fleeing wife, but she didn't slow down. Rodolphus followed her all the way into their living room until she turned and stared at him, her eyes haunted and angry.

"You've been unfaithful to me!" she accused him in a low voice, as if she still couldn't quite believe it. "You, Rodolphus Lestrange, who was supposed to be mine, and only mine—"

"I'm sorry!" Rodolphus said loudly, wanting her to shut up. He wanted to be able to take her into his arms and promise her he'd never do it again, but her eyes spat fire at him, warning him to stay away.

"I don't want your apologies!" Bellatrix screamed at him, unable to handle the situation anymore. "I want you to suffer! _Crucio!_ **Crucio!** "

Rodolphus was unprepared for the power of the young witch's spell, immediately thrown to the floor with a shout and following shrieks. Bellatrix poured her anger and hatred into the Curse, switching versions whenever Rodolphus seemed to be able to fight it off. He had never before known her to Curse him without some desire to play, but Bellatrix had no intentions of playing now.

His shrieks intensified with her Curses, and Rodolphus writhed on the floor, convulsing uncontrollably. He knew that she was blinded by her anger, that she had lost herself in revenge and just wanted to punish him. Rodolphus was terrified that Bella would go too far—he screamed with her next Curse, feeling that he had nearly reached his limit of resistance. Bellatrix was far too good at _Crucio_.

"Bella!" he screamed pleadingly. "Bella, please!" Rodolphus couldn't feel his hands, couldn't control his body at all except for a little speech. His wife still had her ward pointed unwaveringly at him, her gaze unyielding. He felt himself losing control of everything, darkness looming ahead of him. "Bellatrix!" he screamed, sobbing as his fear and horror took over. "Please don't. Please, Bella!" He dragged out her name, the last word he was able to pronounce before his speech failed him.

He didn't know what was happening, his entire body shaking uncontrollably, and then more pain flooded over him. He screamed again, feeling Bellatrix's hands on his arm and shoulder. "Does it hurt?" she said softly, stroking his arm in a falsely caring way. "Poor Roddy. Does he need his mum to make him feel better?"

Her touch intensified the pain of the residual magic, and Rodolphus curled up, shrieking and struggling helplessly. Eventually, she drew back her hands, watching him for a few minutes before she went to their room. Rodolphus knew nothing of what she was doing: he was fighting the blackness that was threatening to overtake him.

Rodolphus lay there for far too long, unable to rise from his place of torture. He knew, somewhere inside the part of his mind that was still aware, that Bella had wanted to kill him, but that something had stopped her. He almost wished she had, for he imagined that it would be better than living with his shame and Bella's rage. He pressed his face against the cool floor, realising there was blood. His blood.

The young man closed his eyes, his pain beginning to make him feel numb all over. He could give in to unconsciousness now, he knew, and he would return to the real world when he woke. Rodolphus let go of his surroundings, and welcomed the blackness in relief.

* * *

Rodolphus recovered very slowly, Bellatrix refusing to help him at all. He went to his parents' home, staying in his room to avoid his mother and father. Bellatrix refused to stay anywhere near him, and always threatened to Curse him. He was terrified that she'd Curse him mad if she ever got into a rage over it again.

One evening however, before Rodolphus had recovered enough to go out, his Mark burned fiercely, and he moaned at the thought of having to go on a raid in his present condition. Seconds later, Bella burst into the room, seething. "Hold still," she hissed at him, then performed two or three spells.

"Bella—"

"Shut up and go to the Dark Lord," Bellatrix spat at him, sending a Stinging Hex at him.

Rodolphus arrived at the Dark Lord's mansion about the same time Bella did, the two walking down the hall together. As they entered the room, Bellatrix strode to the front and stood nearly shoulder to shoulder with the Dark Lord.

"Lestrange," his master said firmly, "I have decided that Bella needs to learn a wider variety of curses, even though she knows so many already. And so well, I might add." He favoured her with a smile, and she smirked proudly.

"Teach me as much as you know," Bella said breathlessly, focusing on her master as if no one else was there. "Let me serve you better."

"You will be my best servant," the man promised her.

Rodolphus' pain was returning as he stood there before the Dark Lord and Bella, trying not to show any reaction. "What do you think, Rodolphus?" the Dark Lord mused.

Rodolphus looked up at his master, breathing shallowly. "My Lord, she has a great capacity for such things. You shall not be disappointed."

The Dark Lord laughed. "That is why I've promised to teach her. I see great potential in Madam Lestrange."

Bellatrix hissed in fury before she could stop herself, and Rodolphus looked away from both of them, unable to keep his face from turning red. "You are dismissed, Rodolphus," the Dark Lord ordered, and Rodolphus walked from the room, fleeing as soon as he was a safe distance away.


	16. Chapter 16

**This chapter turned out to be very short, but, I think, very powerful. Enjoy!**

* * *

Nine year old Rabastan sat across from his brother in the sitting room at Lestrange Manor. "Where's Bella?" he asked. "She's gone a lot, isn't she?"

Twenty year old Rodolphus bit his tongue to keep himself from speaking hastily. Finally, he replied, "She's been on a lot of missions recently, Rab."

"But you haven't," the boy pointed out. "Why not? Shouldn't you and Bella work together? You're more powerful as one."

"Do not question the Dark Lord," Rodolphus droned, and Rabastan rolled his eyes.

"As if you don't. I'm shocked Bellatrix hasn't realised it—"

"Shut up!" Rodolphus shouted at his brother, then stormed out of the room without waiting for a reply.

The git was right, Rodolphus thought to himself bitterly. Bella had been absent more and more often during the evenings. He'd never questioned her, always assuming that she was on some mission for the Dark Lord, or that he was training her in his specialized Dark Arts. Perhaps it was time that he asked her how her training was going.

Late that night, Bellatrix tiptoed into their bedchamber and Rodolphus sat up, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her down onto the bed, pinning her beneath him. "How's training?" he murmured against her neck, binding her to the bed with his magic.

"Inspiring," she breathed, her magic crackling fiercely against his. "Rodolphus, leave me alone. I'm not in the mood—"

"You said you were inspired," he smirked down at her, splitting her robes straight down the front.

"Not for what you have in mind," she hissed at him, unable to get free. "Rodolphus, let me go!"

Rodolphus debated it, but shook his head, caressed her soft, smooth skin. "No thanks," he decided, leaning in to kiss her revealed body. He heard Bellatrix catch her breath sharply, her whole body tensing as her husband touched her. He smirked to himself, continuing to undress her.

Bellatrix finally quit fighting him, her head leaned back on the bed, giving in to the inevitable. Rodolphus chuckled softly, preparing to fulfill his desires when something stopped him. He was silent for a moment, then hissed, "Bella, you've been with another man tonight!" He swore at her, demanding to know how she dared do such a thing. "Who was it?" he shouted at her when she didn't deny it, merely looking up at him with a blank expression. "I swear I'll kill him!"

Her laughter confused him, but her black eyes sparkled with mad glee. "I have no greater honour than to serve my Master," she answered her husband, who recoiled from her as if struck. "I doubt you'll keep that oath. You belong to him too—"

He slapped her full across the face, and she closed her eyes, taking his beating silently. Rodolphus didn't know what he shouted at her, what names he called her, how he cussed her out—he didn't even know what spells he used on her, for her body was broken, bruised, and cut by the time his anger was spent on her.

"Going to do this every time?" she said hoarsely, glaring at him through all her sufferings. "Perhaps if you had been a faithful husband—"

"You will not blame it on me!" shrieked Rodolphus, and with a simple spell, he made her writhe beneath him on the bed, her eyes not moving from his. "You know I wouldn't seek another on my own, Bella. You know I didn't mean to!"

She didn't reply, Rodolphus leaving her completely battered, lying on her side of their bed. The young man was devastated, almost crying in disbelief. He couldn't believe that Bella would do such a thing to him—after all, they played together like no one else—except the Dark Lord. Rodolphus' heart turned to stone. He would teach Bellatrix to betray him. She would pay for her sins.


	17. Chapter 17

**Inspiration at last! Two day writers' block is done! I even had more oneshot ideas that I added to my list! I hope my brain keeps this up, hahaha Enjoy!**

* * *

Rodolphus continued to punish Bellatrix whenever he was suspicious that she'd been with the Dark Lord again. It was during this time that Bellatrix would call the Dark Lord "Master" just to infuriate her husband. He'd never thought of himself as a wife-beater or as a Death Eater, but he found himself more and more caught up in both pastimes.

He never let Bella out of their Manor until he had healed her, but he had the feeling that Andromeda and Narcissa knew what was happening between him and their older sister anyway. Bellatrix was defiant, often refusing his company, and more often his advances.

Rodolphus quickly learned that Bellatrix was always going to answer first to the Dark Lord, regardless of what time it was or what was happening. He truly meant nothing more to her than a pureblood marriage, and it sickened him, though he knew she had only done her pureblood duty—part of it, anyway. How could she simply throw away his obvious adoration?

It wasn't as if she didn't know—her own Dark Lord had told her Rodolphus loved her. Bitterly, Rodolphus accepted that his own wife was the chosen whore of their Dark Lord, but it didn't make the knowledge any less difficult. He heard other Death Eaters beginning to talk about her behind their masks, and his heart burned with anger. With any of them, he had more than enough right to kill them should they attempt to take Bella from him.

Rodolphus clenched his left fist, then slowly tried to relax his muscles. One did not simply go punching the Dark Lord merely because his wife failed to return home on time—for the twentieth time that month. His shoulders slumped in defeat, the young man leaning forward to put his head in his hands.

"Bella," he whispered, an ache in his heart. "Why must I give you up? Because the Dark Lord demands it?"

"Rod," giggled a female voice, and he jumped as her arms wound around his neck. "He only requests that you share. For now." She kissed him, and he pushed her away. "Don't be standoffish, Rodolphus Lestrange," she snapped at him. "If you want any semblance of love from me, you've got to take it when I'm willing to give it! When I'm _here_ with _you_!"

He glared at her, reaching for her to draw her back to himself. She wrenched her arm away. "And I don't feel like it anymore," she said plainly, smirking when he just to his feet, rushing at her.

When her head hit hard against the wall, she gave a soft gasp, then leaned her head back as he kissed her throat threateningly. "Sure you don't," Rodolphus said, biting her soft skin. She drew her breath sharply, feeling his teeth pierce the skin of her throat. "Is that exciting to you?" he chuckled, amused at her reaction. Rodolphus held her face in his hands as he leaned in to lick the fresh blood from her throat. "You taste good," he smirked at her.

"Then eat me," Bellatrix dared him, her black eyes taunting.

"Mmm," he murmured, reaching for her robes, but she beat him to it, vanishing their clothes. "Bitch," he hissed, and he found himself knocked across the room, landing on the floor.

"Do you want me, or not?" she demanded, the strangest picture of beauty, standing there with her hands on her bare hips.

Rodolphus crossed the room immediately, pushing her down onto their bed. "Don't you know I do?" he breathed into her ear, pressing himself against her and smirking at her. "Whenever I see you, I want you."

Bellatrix giggled girlishly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I see," she whispered into his ear as he pressed hot kisses to her soft, supple skin. "Well, tonight, you can enjoy me fully."

He gave a low laugh and she moaned softly, her head thrown back in relaxation, waiting on her husband to fall into their usual games. To her surprise, he was unusually calm this time, though he teased her a lot, making her sigh and breathe his name passionately.

Rodolphus was about to begin the real fun when he felt his wife tense beneath him. "Bella?" he said in confusion, pausing. "What—?" He saw panic in her eyes a second before he saw her Mark burning black on her arm, and her expression cleared. "Hasn't he had enough of you today?" Rodolphus demanded, almost hysterically. "Get out of here! Go to him!"

Bellatrix gasped, clutching her arm as she rolled off the bed, Summoning her clothes and dressing as she ran from the room. Rodolphus felt nothing, lying back down, empty and worthless.

The young witch returned nearly three hours later, creeping quietly into the room to find Rodolphus still awake, staring aimlessly at the wall. "Welcome back," he said bleakly.

"You shouldn't have stayed awake," she replied hoarsely, and Rodolphus could have sworn that something was wrong with her besides her infidelity.

"I couldn't sleep," he said bitterly, turning toward her as she crawled into their bed clumsily. "Did he want you, too?"

"Rodolphus!" Bella said, sounding pained. "Please don't—I didn't mean for us to get interrupted. I didn't know it would happen!"

Rodolphus looked straight into her dark eyes, seeing pain and hurt there. She flinched as he reached out, touching her cheek with his fingertips. "He tortured you," Rodolphus muttered, frowning as he felt the residual magic. "Why? Aren't you his most faithful, Bella?"

She hissed wordlessly, and he withdrew his hand, watching her for a moment. Rodolphus knew that she had fulfilled every single one of her missions that the Dark Lord had given her. The only thing he could have punished her for would be something that she'd done since he'd called her three hours before. The residual magic obviously wasn't from any form of playing that Bellatrix had ever done before: it was a full blown _Crucio_ , and Rodolphus knew it.

"Bella, did you—?"

"I said something stupid," Bella snapped defensively. "I don't want to talk about it." She turned over, showing him her back as she curled up on her side of the bed.

He stared at the back of her neck, where there was a large bruise, obviously carefully placed to cause pain when she moved. "Bella," he breathed, horrified. He was now certain that she'd tried to deny her master's wishes and been severely punished.

She didn't move at the sound of his voice, and Rodolphus scooted closer to her, slipping his arms around her gently. Bellatrix went rigid. "Rodolphus, if you touch me, I swear to Salazar I will kill you."

"No, I just want to hold you," he said, prepared to hold her still if she fought him. She relaxed slightly, then went limp in his arms. "I love you," he muttered.

"How?"

Her bitter response made him squeeze her arm gently, Rodolphus not trusting himself to reply. He knew without a doubt that Bellatrix suffered from her relationship with the Dark Lord just as much as he did.

He pressed his face against the back of her robes, wondering that she didn't even feel like changing her robes. He could hear her breathing through her back, concerned that she was more injured than he'd thought. "Are you all right?" he asked finally.

"Shut up," she hissed. "There's nothing to be done—it's His spellwork. You can't reverse it."

"Sorry," he muttered, and she curled up more tightly. He didn't speak as he held her carefully, closing his eyes as he pressed his face into her robe again. Her whole body was beginning to tremble, and Rodolphus wondered if it was from the Dark Lord's Curses, or Bella's own feelings.

He was horrified at it all, finally beginning to realise that it wasn't really Bella's fault, even if he couldn't blame it on the Dark Lord. Bellatrix was a victim just as much as he was, and in that moment, Rodolphus felt closer to his wife than he had in a very long time.


	18. Chapter 18

Two nights later, both Rodolphus and Bellatrix were called to the Dark Lord. "My Lord," they murmured as one, kneeling before him the instant they reached him.

"Bella."

Rodolphus forced himself to concentrate only on the stone floor, idly wondering why it was so dusty. He smirked slightly, wondering if the Dark Lord also refused to do a Cleaning Charm.

"Rodolphus," came the Dark Lord's calm voice.

The young man stood straight, looking up into the older wizard's face. "A mission?" he asked.

The Dark Lord lifted his hand, then put it down, regarding the Lestrange heir thoughtfully. "A mission," he agreed. "For the two of you. It will be dangerous."

"We'll do it," Bellatrix said eagerly, and Rodolphus almost laughed.

"Tell us what we must do," Rodolphus requested, more interested in the details.

"We've found out the location of the home of one of the Order," the Dark Lord told them. "It's hidden within an apartment complex, but isn't protected by a Secret Keeper. He must die."

Bellatrix nodded. "Who is he?"

The Dark Lord reached out and touched her face, then Rodolphus' in turn. "Andrew McCullogh," he said as the image of the man imprinted on their memory. "He has a wife and child as well, but they don't matter. You can kill them, or capture them, whichever is the easiest. Here is the location."

Immediately, Rod and Bella saw the surrounding area of the apartment complex, all the way from the entrance up the walk to the front door. "That specific apartment?" Rodolphus asked, and the Dark Lord smirked.

"One of your peers reported so," he said, and Rodolphus almost shivered. "If he was wrong, you may have the pleasure of torturing him."

"Okay," Bellatrix grinned. "We go in, kill him if we find him, and leave a calling card."

The Dark Lord chuckled softly. "Don't have too much fun, Bella," he said. "You must remain anonymous."

She nodded, still grinning in anticipation. "Of course, my Lord. Shall we go now?"

"Go," he said, still chuckling to himself as the two left, both grinning. Both Lestranges had a lot of growing up to do.

* * *

Rodolphus put his hood up, slipping his mask on and turning to Bella. "Ready?" he asked her.

"Always," she replied, her black eyes sparkling with excitement even behind her mask.

They disillusioned and disapparated, meeting at the same place and smirking at each other behind their masks. "C'mon!" Bella hissed, stepping into the shadows and hurrying toward the sidewalk up toward the apartments. "I can't believe this place doesn't have wards around it. It must be a Muggle complex." She sounded as if she would be ill.

"Partially," Rodolphus muttered, holding out his hand to one of the doors. "There are wizards there. At least, there's magic there."

"Pathetic," Bella said, shaking her head slightly. "Let's check out that other apartment first."

"C'mon!" Rodolphus mimicked her, and she rolled her eyes, striding past him up the path.

They approached the door together, feeling the magic of the wards scan them. "Do you think we should knock?" Bella giggled. "Two of us couldn't break that ward."

Rodolphus grinned. "As long as there's no...spy device in the door."

Bella flicked her wand, scanning the door. "Not one," she replied, then raised her left hand, knocking loudly on the door as she put a surrounding Silencing Ward. Several minutes passed, and Bellatrix knocked on the door again, adding her magic to the knock this time, rattling the ward on the door.

A light came on in a nearby window, and Rodolphus gripped his wand more firmly. Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door, and a sleepy voice called grumpily, "Who's there?"

"Friends," Rodolphus said, motioning Bellatrix not to speak. "Urgent message from Dumbledore."

"I didn't know you could talk without an accent!" Bella hissed at him.

"Shut up!" he hissed back.

Somewhere in the room behind the door, a woman said, "Oh, darling, it's your bird friends!"

Bellatrix clapped her left hand over her mask, shaking with silent laughter, and Rodolphus bit his lip to keep from joining in. The door opened, and Bella hit it with a Blasting Curse. Rodolphus joined her immediately, attacking the man as the door exploded inward, a woman screaming behind them somewhere.

"Andrew, who are they?" cried the woman, cowering behind a couch.

"Muggle," Bellatrix spat at her, throwing a curse in her direction. To the Muggle's credit, she dodged it and Bella returned to the fight against the wizard.

"Death Eaters!" cried the man, and the woman gaped at them.

A door burst open and two men entered the room, wands out. "Ooh!" said one. "Scary Death Eaters! Let's see who they are! We can give them to Crouch—he'll have a field day over this one."

Bella laughed shrilly, and all three men looked very surprised, though fighting for their lives with the two Death Eaters. Rodolphus gritted his teeth as a Bone-Breaking Spell just missed his ribcage. If he failed at this, Bella would never let him live it down—if he lived through it, anyway. He could just imagine himself dying and Bellatrix coming away victorious, three dead Order members at her feet.

One of the men fell under a vicious spell Rodolphus didn't remember the name of, obviously fatally injured. The woman was sobbing in horror, still hiding behind the couch, and Bellatrix scowled. "Shut up, bitch. We aren't here for you. Of course, I could lay you to rest with your husband. Once we've put him down—"

A spell grazed her neck, and she shrieked with laughter, her dueling becoming more deadly because she was threatened. Curses flew from her wand so rapidly that Rodolphus couldn't watch her, dazzled by the bright sparks and the changing colours. Bella brought down the third man, their prey the only one left.

The woman suddenly shrieked in horror, realising that her husband was alone against the two. She rushed out from behind the couch—and Rodolphus then saw that a little girl wearing a nightgown was standing in another doorway, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Mum, Dad, what's going on?"

"Nellie!" cried the woman, but the girl had already stepped into the room.

There was an almost instant cease-fire, the two Death Eaters looking from the child to the child's parents. Bella raised her wand, and Rodolphus deflected her spell. She turned to shriek at him the same second that the child's mother tackled her daughter to the floor.

Over the woman's sobs and the child's shrieks came Rodolphus' firm voice: " **Avada Kedavra!** "

There was silence as the man fell lifelessly to the floor, and then Bella complained, "No fair! I wanted to play with him!"

"What did you do?" screamed the woman in horror, sitting up, her arms wrapped protectively around her daughter.

"I killed your husband," Rodolphus said matter-of-factly, shocking himself. "And I think maybe we should kill you too."

"Mumma, what does it mean?" the little girl quavered. "Who are they?"

"We're Daddy's bird friends," Bellatrix giggled, and Rodolphus laughed.

The woman was sobbing in horror, holding her little girl close until Bellatrix forced the woman to release her. "Mum!" the girl cried, finally beginning to cry. "Mumma, don't let them take me. Daddy, daddy, wake up!"

Bellatrix patted the child's head gently, and the girl sobbed in fear. "Daddy won't wake up, darling. He's dead. Don't you know what that is? Now watch carefully. Mum's going to die too."

Rodolphus felt ill, hearing his wife taunt the girl who couldn't have been more than six or seven years old. He stepped to his wife's side, holding back the little girl. The child tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn't let her.

" **Crucio**!" Bellatrix said cheerfully, and the woman screamed horribly, reaching out and scratching the carpet as she tried to escape the Curse. "No resistance," Bella sighed. "You should have let me play with her husband."

"Bella—" Rodolphus began, but stopped as his wife Cursed the woman again. The little girl was screaming too, but in horror of what was happening to her mother. Finally, the child buried her face in his robes, clinging to him and crying, "Mummy, Daddy. Mummy, Daddy."

"Bella," he said more firmly. "Finish, and let's go."

"Fine," Bellatrix sighed, performing a fatal curse. "Move. I'll deal with the girl."

Rodolphus glared at her. "You will not hurt an innocent child. I will drop her off on someone's doorstep. Come on."

Bellatrix glared back at him. "She is filth!"

"She is a child!" hissed Rodolphus, his right arm around the trembling girl. "She shouldn't have seen that!"

"You're too soft!" Bellatrix sneered, raising her wand.

Rodolphus pushed the girl behind him, his own wand ready when they all heard someone shout, "Death Eaters! You are surrounded! Come on out!"

Bellatrix turned to the child, more gently now. "Nellie, darling, is there a back door?"

The child stared at her wide-eyed, seeming to try to blend into Rodolphus' black robes. Rodolphus squeezed her shoulder awkwardly. "Come on," he said softly. "There are others out there who want to get us. We need you to help us get out of here. Is there another way out of this house besides this door?"

Nellie nodded, and when Rodolphus released her, she took off running for another part of the house. Rodolphus and Bellatrix followed immediately, finding themselves on a balcony. "The only way," she sniffled, still crying.

Rodolphus looked over at his wife. "We've got to jump down and avoid the Aurors if we can," he said. "Come on." He wrapped his arm around the child and jumped over the railing. Bellatrix hissed in disapproval, following quickly. They hurried through the shadows, stopping in one shadowed doorway as several people rushed along a nearby path.

The little girl tensed, and Rodolphus Silenced her non-verbally so she couldn't cry out. "Sorry, darling," he murmured, and felt the child's body shake with renewed sobs.

"Now!" Bellatrix hissed, and Rodolphus hurried the girl along the path, holding her up when she stumbled. "Rodolphus, Stun her and dump her somewhere! She'll slow us down!"

"Shut up," Rodolphus told her. "Just shut up."

"There they are!" shouted a voice, and the entire surrounding area burst into flame from Bella's wand. "They've got a child with them! It must be McCullogh's!"

Bellatrix ran across the open space, dodging spells and shielding curses from the Aurors and Order members that had come down on them. Rodolphus put a weightless charm on the girl and ran after Bellatrix. Flames licked over the buildings, crackling and adding heat to the situation.

"Down here," Bella hissed, and Rodolphus ducked into the hollow in the wall, the girl held tightly in his lap. She curled into his arms, hiding her face again as she sobbed hysterically. "Why won't you leave her?"

"She can't stay here, Bella, you set the place on fire," Rodolphus scowled. "Now shut up! They're coming by."

He held the girl still as Aurors crept past their hiding place, looking around. Rodolphus was glad that Bella had done the spell, for she was much better at it than he. "Now," Rodolphus said, sliding out of the wall and hurrying back the way they'd come. "The gates are this way."

They arrived on the main path to the gates just as other Aurors spotted them from behind, beginning to throw spells in their direction. An _Avada_ narrowly missed Rodolphus, and one of the Aurors shouted, "Don't hit the girl, you idiot!"

Bellatrix growled under her breath, flinging flame all across the courtyard behind them as they ran. Rodolphus could feel the heat of the flames licking at his back, the girl screaming in terror, though she couldn't be heard.

"The gate!" Bella cried in horror. "There's a passcode!"

"It's a Muggle gate, stupid!" Rodolphus shouted back, fighting the flames back from them as the girl shuddered against his shoulder. "Just flame it like you flamed everything else!"

"They put a ward up!" Bellatrix shouted back at him.

Rodolphus was about to reply when he felt something tug at his robe and realised the girl was trying to get his attention. He barely released her from her silence when he felt the heat of the flames take his own breath away. Back to fighting the flames, he and the girl choked on the smoke together, smoky tears running down their faces.

The girl drew a breath and cried, "Nine one seven zero five! Then the star!"

Bellatrix glared at the indignity, then put in the numbers, the gate opening. "Come on," she shouted at Rodolphus as the Aurors finally burst through Bella's flames from a different angle.

Rodolphus ran, Bella grabbing his arm and disapparating the instant they crossed the ward boundary. Bellatrix cross-apparated several times, the girl becoming ill after the fourth or fifth time. Rodolphus didn't release her, knowing that the girl's signature would help confuse the Aurors.

Finally, Bellatrix dragged them to another small hiding place. "We didn't send the Mark," she said through gritted teeth.

"When would you have fit that in?" Rodolphus asked her, wincing as he felt a small burn on his leg. The flames had definitely got too close for comfort. The girl was almost silent, still clinging to him as she stared around in fear. "Are you burned, or anything?" he said to the child.

Nellie shook her head, and Bellatrix huffed in disapproval. "Get rid of her! What are you doing? Going to take her home? Going to take her back to the Dark Lord?"

"Don't be jealous," Rodolphus said dully.

"Ha!" Bellatrix almost shrieked, and Rodolphus motioned her to be quiet, glancing out of their hiding place. "Do you really think they'll track us down?"

"No, but all the same, it is the middle of the night," Rodolphus replied.

Nearly forty-five minutes later, the three climbed out of their hiding place and disapparated, Rodolphus taking Bella and the girl to another neighborhood. "Here," Rodolphus said softly to the girl, hugging her subtly. "Go up to that door and knock. Tell them Death Eaters hurt your parents. They'll take care of you."

The girl stared from Rodolphus to Bellatrix to the door, sniffling again as the tears began to stream down her face. "Please," she whispered. "I can go?"

"Yes," Rodolphus said. "Go now. And—I'm sorry." He pulled off his mask, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the child's mussed up hair. "Go to those people. They're friends of your dad's."

"Dad," sobbed the girl, then turned and ran toward the door, fleeing the two Death Eaters.

Bellatrix grabbed Rodolphus and disapparated, the two appearing outside an abandoned house. "If you ever do something stupid like that again, Rodolphus Lestrange, I will kill you myself," she hissed. "Never, ever be so _weak_ as to let a child endanger you!"

"She saved us twice," Rodolphus replied, shaken from watching the child run away, crying for her father. "Bella, we made her an orphan."

"Her father was in the Order, her mother was a Muggle," Bella muttered, wrapping her arms around her husband. "They're filth, Rod. You know that."

"What they are isn't her fault, neither is her blood her fault," Rodolphus replied, pressing his face into her hair. He hadn't realised that she'd taken off her mask too. "Bella—"

"Why do you have a heart?" Bella muttered, embracing him. "I don't understand you."

"I don't!" Rodolphus protested, and immediately added, "She's only a tiny bit younger than Rabastan, Bella. I couldn't imagine murdering someone like that in cold blood."

Bella looked up and kissed him, feeling his arms wrap around her. "It'll get easier as we go on missions," she promised him softly. "Just don't continue to adopt the orphans."

Rodolphus' blood chilled at her words, but he hugged her tightly, kissing her head. "All right," he murmured. "As long as you don't murder children, I won't adopt any."

"Deal," she giggled. "But that doesn't mean we won't torture them to manipulate the parents." She glared at Rodolphus, and he sighed.

"Yes, of course, Bella." She rewarded him with a fierce kiss, magic crackling hotly in her hands as she pulled him close. He grabbed her, ready to be done with it all and go home, but she stopped him, her hands cupping his face gently.

"We've got to report to the Dark Lord," she reminded him. "Then we can probably go home. Come on. And don't let on to him that you're hung up on children or I _will_ be embarrassed."

Rodolphus grinned sheepishly. "Sorry," he muttered. "Don't know why I did that. It won't happen again."

She smirked and disapparated with him to the Riddle mansion. "It had better not."

Rodolphus resolved that no child would ever again distract him from his duty to the Dark Lord. He also resolved that Bella would never have a chance to murder an innocent child while he was around.


	19. Chapter 19

**As I was writing, I realised I was beginning to misspell simple words. I even used "your" instead of "you're." This simply means that I've been up too long: it's 6am and I have to be at work in two hours. GO TO BED, TRIXIE!**

 **Enjoy my sleepy rambling!**

* * *

Rodolphus laughed uproariously as his brother mimicked Sirius Black: "'You'll be in Hufflepuff, and Reg will be in Ravenclaw!'" Rabastan rolled his eyes at the thought. "If I was in Hufflepuff, there'd be a hell of a lot of dead Hufflepuffs by year's end."

"You could never be a Hufflepuff," Rodolphus chuckled, shaking his head. "Black has no discernment."

"That's why he's a Gryffindor," spat Rabastan decisively. "Even Regulus told me that he can't stand to walk into his brother's room and see the red and gold. He and Sirius don't really talk anymore, I guess. I think their mother is trying to keep them apart. She's always yelling. I mean, that's all I've ever seen of her. Does she do anything else?"

Rodolphus just shook his head, and his eleven year old brother continued, "Regulus would be an excellent Ravenclaw, but he can't because of Sirius. He has to be a Slytherin now. And I would never choose anything else, not even Ravenclaw. I couldn't be a Ravenclaw." He regarded his brother for a few moments, then said, "I think you could—you're always reading. But then, Ravenclaws aren't Dark, are they?"

Rodolphus snorted in derision. "One of the Death Eaters I know was a Ravenclaw," he answered. "Say that again?"

"Which one?" Rabastan disagreed. "No."

"Avery," Rodolphus answered. "He was in Bella's year."

"He's going to be your brother-in-law-in-law," Rabastan laughed, falling back against the couch in amusement. "And Lucius on the other hand—I mean, how obvious is it that Narcissa Black thinks he's the only wizard who exists in the world?"

"Well," said Rod thoughtfully, "don't you think that's because we're in-laws already and they're less guarded around us?"

Rabastan shot a glare at his older brother. "I wouldn't think so."

Rodolphus shrugged. "You're no Ravenclaw."

Rabastan flung a spell across the room wandlessly and Rodolphus shouted with laughter, blocking it. "Neither are you," Rabastan retorted. "So—"

Both boys stopped as they felt Bella's magic crash against the wards and both stood to their feet in alarm. Moments later, they heard Bella coming down the hall, sounding upset and unsteady.

The door burst open and Bella rushed in, staring around as her magic crackled uncontrolled. Her eyes were wide, blazing with anger and horror together as she ignored Rabastan and turned to her husband. "Rod," she said hoarsely, her hands trembling.

"Bella," Rodolphus said, hurrying to her side. "What's wrong?"

"Andromeda—" Bella's breath hitched suddenly, and Rodolphus wrapped his arms around his wife.

"What happened?" he asked, very much concerned.

"She left." Bellatrix gave a dry sob and buried her face in his robes, unable to face him as she spoke. "She ran away."

Rabastan raised an eyebrow. "Most people would, you know—"

Rodolphus winged a Curse at his brother, making him shut up. Bella didn't look up, her hands gripping onto his robe tightly. "She's married a—a Mudblood."

Rabastan gaped at his sister-in-law, totally shocked. "A Mudblood? Andromeda?"

"Bella," Rodolphus murmured, horrified. "She told your family today?"

"She—she told us that she was leaving," Bella choked, a sob finally escaping to her as Rodolphus sank to the floor to hold her on his lap. "She's carrying his child too—"

Rabastan stared, speechless, and Rodolphus held Bellatrix firmly as she sobbed, "She was everyone's favourite; how could she have done such a thing?"

Rodolphus hugged his wife tightly, knowing that anything he said would be insufficient for the situation. "What will I do?" Bella breathed, trying to keep back her sobs. "Rod, what do I do? I'll never be able to face anyone ever again!"

"You would never do such a thing," Rodolphus told her. "She isn't you. She isn't part of your family anymore, and you never knew her."

"But I did!" Bellatrix shrieked, staring into his eyes, her own filled with tears. "She was my sister! She was more like me than Cissa, and now she's betrayed all of us! I don't want to go to Grimmauld! I don't want to be there when they get rid of her!"

"Bellatrix," he said firmly, "are you supposed to be at Grimmauld right now?"

"Half hour," Bella whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I can't go. I can't."

Rodolphus sighed, brushing her hair out of her face as he held her close. "You've got to," he murmured. "Even if you don't want to. You've got to be strong for yourself, and for Narcissa. And what about the boys? Do they know?"

Bellatrix wiped her eyes on her sleeve, struggling to quiet her sobs. "They should know now," she sniffled. "Father sent them a notice. He'll be writing the Averys later today." She made a face. "I don't envy him."

"Ha," said Rodolphus. He didn't envy Cygnus Black at the moment either. Who wanted to write Marshall Avery that his fiancee was now a blood-traitor, married to a Mudblood, and already reproducing filth? Not he.

"Come with me," she begged him, grasping his arm tightly. "You can't let me go alone. I'll be able to do it if you're with me."

"All right," he agreed, looking straight into her black eyes still dulled with tears. "Shall we go get ready?"

"No," Bella pouted, fear showing in her eyes.

Rodolphus leaned forward and kissed her gently. "You can do it, Bellatrix. You've done many difficult things already."

She looked up at him, her eyes worried, but more clear. "But it's never been this bad," she murmured. "Never been one of my sisters."

He sighed. "You need to stop saying that." She tensed, and he thought _, Shit, she's going to Curse me._

"She can't be gone," Bellatrix sniffled again, and Rodolphus pushed her away so he could get up, helping Bella up from the floor.

"When it's all over, it'll be easier to believe," Rodolphus said. "Come on. We don't want to be late."

His wife allowed him to lead her to their room, both dressing in silence, Bella ripping one of her dresses to shreds before choosing another. Rodolphus made no comment, supposing that Andromeda had either given the dress to Bella or had worn it herself. Finally, Rodolphus turned to her, and she looked up at him, her brow wrinkled in worry. "You ready?" he said softly.

Bellatrix clung to him suddenly, and he embraced her tightly. "We'll leave as soon as we can," he promised her in a whisper. "I'm sure you won't have to talk most of the time."

"Okay," she whispered. "Let's go."

He took her by the hand and disapparated. She reached out and allowed the doorknob to test her blood, leading the way into the house. They found Orion Black standing in the hallway outside the stairwell to the kitchen. "Bellatrix," he said darkly. "Rodolphus."

"Sir," said Rodolphus. Bellatrix did not speak, merely nodding. "Are the others here yet?" he asked for his wife.

"No," answered the man, frowning. "They should be here any minute. Sirius is in the drawing room, and Walburga and Regulus are in the kitchen."

"All right," Rodolphus nodded.

"We'll wait upstairs," Bella finally spoke up. She grasped her husband's arm and hurried away up to the door of the drawing room. As they entered the room, they spotted Sirius seated on the floor, staring up at the Black family tapestry, a dull expression on his face.

He looked up at his cousin and her husband, then turned back to the tapestry, not speaking. Undoubtedly, he was staring at the picture of Andromeda that would soon cease to show on their family tree. Rodolphus slipped his arm around Bella's waist, keeping her by his side. She was struggling again, but he knew that she would hate herself forever if she cried in front of Sirius. Bellatrix fell to staring at the tapestry as if entranced, and Rodolphus stayed quiet, the room sacredly silent.

Several minutes later, the door to the room opened and Bellatrix and Sirius both jumped in surprise as both sets of their parents walked in, Regulus following them. Narcissa was the last to enter the room, pale as death, Lucius at her side. Bellatrix didn't dare look at her youngest sister, instead watching her cousins' parents.

There was a horrible silence as they stood there before the tapestry, until Walburga said, "We must remove Andromeda from the tapestry. Bellatrix. Since you are the oldest sister, it is your privilege."

Rodolphus felt his wife cringe and hugged her subtly to his side. Bellatrix glared at her aunt. "I don't want to—I won't."

Walburga sneered at her niece, "What? The pretty little Death Eater won't disown her blood-traitor sister?"

"She isn't—" Bellatrix began, and Rodolphus held his breath, knowing her voice would break if she continued. _She isn't my sister._

"It isn't our place to disown our siblings," Regulus said quietly, and everyone looked at him, even Narcissa, who was now crying quietly, tears running down her cheeks. "It's yours." He looked up at his mother firmly, unyielding.

Everyone looked at Walburga, seeming to agree, and she gave Bellatrix a steely glare before turning back to the tapestry. With a single motion of a wand, Andromeda's face was removed from the tapestry, and tears were streaming down Narcissa's face as she stared in disbelief, her shoulders shaking.

Bellatrix pulled away from her husband, going to her littlest sister and putting her arms around the girl, hugging her tightly. Narcissa clung to her oldest sister, and Bella leaned her head against her sister's, her hair hiding both their faces.

Rodolphus noticed that Sirius had set his jaw angrily, and that Regulus was staring hopelessly at the place where his cousin's face used to be. He glanced over at Lucius, who caught his eye, then turned back to watch Narcissa and Bellatrix.

The only sound in the room was of Narcissa crying until Bellatrix murmured something, and the younger witch choked out an answer. Bellatrix hugged her sister tightly, then released her, returning to her husband's side. The black-haired witch tossed her hair, her expression hardened on her face. Taking her husband's arm, she walked out of the room with him, the two thumping down the stairs together.

The instant the two walked out the door, Bellatrix grasped her husband's hand and disapparated home. "I invited Cissa and Lucius here for a little while," she said. "I'm not hungry and I'm fairly certain Narcissa won't be either. I don't know about you and Lucius. I'm really hoping he won't stay long."

Rodolphus shook his head. "Of course. Are you planning for Cissa to stay the night?"

"I wish she would stay until she becomes a Malfoy," Bellatrix replied flatly. "It would serve Mother and Father right for chasing Andromeda away. Let them know what an empty home feels like, because none of us will ever be going back."

"Not even you?" Rodolphus chuckled, eyebrow raised.

"I hate my parents," Bellatrix said unguardedly. "Haven't I told you that? And I'd much rather be here with you than at home."

"Well, thanks," he said, kissing her head. "I'd rather be with you than at your house too."

Bellatrix gave him a weak smile, then became solemn again as Narcissa and Lucius turned up on the walk. Rodolphus unbarred the gates, allowing them in, and they came in to the sitting room. "Have you eaten?" Rodolphus asked Lucius, and the blonde wizard nodded once, glancing at Narcissa anxiously.

Narcissa looked up, then shook her head. "I couldn't," she whispered, struggling to retain her composure.

Lucius looked between the two witches, then said, "If you girls need a few minutes alone, you're welcome to find privacy."

"Thank you for your permission," Bellatrix said haughtily, moving to her sister's side and leading the blonde girl from the room.

"She wasn't happy," commented Lucius.

"Malfoy, you're an only child," Rodolphus ridiculed him. "That's the only reason you're still breathing."

Lucius raised an eyebrow, ready to retort when Rabastan poked his head into the room. "So what happened?" Raben asked breathlessly, looking from his brother to the Malfoy.

Rodolphus sighed, shaking his head. "Now isn't the time to talk about it, Rabastan," he said. "I'll have to tell you later. It's too fresh and I don't want Bella to Curse you if she hears us talking about it."

Rabastan rolled his eyes in exasperation, and Rodolphus changed the subject. Several minutes later, Bellatrix and Narcissa re-entered the room, the younger girl considerably more calm than she had been. "Lucius," said the black-haired witch, "Cissa will be staying here tonight, and possibly several more nights. Definitely more often than before. So you can go, whenever you're ready."

"Thank you for your permission," Lucius quoted her, standing up so that he was taller than her. "I will see you soon, Narcissa," he said softly, then left quickly.

"He'll be good for you," Bellatrix told her sister. "I still don't like him, but you'll be happy with him."

"Thanks," Narcissa muttered and blushed the slightest bit.

Bellatrix finally noticed Rabastan and scowled at him before walking away, leading Narcissa to her room for the night.

* * *

Six weeks later, Rodolphus and Bellatrix attended Lucius and Narcissa's wedding. Bellatrix took a couple of memories to make into pictures, smiling proudly as her sister was pronounced "Mrs. Lucius Malfoy." Bella couldn't help giggling at that.

Sure, Narcissa was only seventeen, almost eighteen, but her wedding date had been moved earlier at her and Lucius' agreement since they didn't have to plan Andromeda's wedding anymore (Bellatrix had helped Narcissa burn the bridesmaids' dresses).

Speaking of Andromeda and weddings, Bellatrix had already cursed Avery severely because he'd taunted her about Andromeda in front of several of their fellow Death Eaters. _It was people like Avery_ , Rodolphus thought, _that helped Bellatrix become the cold, uncaring witch she liked to portray_.

Bella had begun to heal from the wound of Andromeda's departure by taking out her feelings on hapless Muggles and other victims that she came across. Rodolphus almost felt sorry for them, but his wife had taught him well: he did not falter at her tortures.

Once they were home from the Malfoy wedding, Bellatrix set up the pictures on pieces of parchment, framing a couple to put on the walls. She placed a newly-married picture of Lucius and Narcissa up on the wall of their bedroom, much to Rodolphus' horror. The last thing he wanted the two Malfoys to see was what he and Bella got down to sometimes.

She leaned back against her husband, watching the newly-married Narcissa blush at the camera, Lucius' hands on her waist. "She's so beautiful," Bellatrix whispered, sniffling a little. "I wish Andromeda could see her."

"Yes," Rodolphus agreed, unsure what else he could safely say. He was surprised to see a tear fall onto the parchment, and he moved it aside, hugging Bellatrix firmly. "Andromeda will see her. Lucius will make sure the whole world sees his prize."

"Yes," Bellatrix giggled. "Narcissa deserves to be shown off to the world. She's the best."

* * *

That evening, Rodolphus looked at the picture of the two Malfoys again, picking up the parchment. He sat down and quietly wrote a note:

 _Andromeda: here is Lucius and Narcissa's wedding picture. Bella fantasy-wished that you could see how beautiful she was. Don't reply: it will be burnt._

 _Rodolphus Lestrange_

"Take this to Andromeda Black Tonks," Rodolphus muttered to his owl, Tyragon. "If you lose it, I will not be happy."

The owl hooted and flew away with the letter, Rodolphus hoping that Bellatrix would never find out what he had done for her.


	20. Chapter 20

**An extra-long chapter written in one day! :D Now that's cool!**

 **Question: when you write a twisted chapter like this, does it mean you're twisted, or that your characters are twisted? Or both?**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

A little more than a year later, Rodolphus and Bellatrix were snuggling on the couch in the sitting room when the door burst open and Narcissa walked in, both Lestranges jumping up, wands out. "Cissy!" Bella said, flustered, straightening her robes. "Is something wrong?"

"Did—did you get—?" Narcissa bit her lip, then hurried to her sister's side, showing her a picture.

"Nymphadora," read Bellatrix, frowning. "Daughter of—no!"

"Bella!" Narcissa protested as her sister snatched the picture away and flamed it without hesitation. "Bella, you were right about the child. She's a Metamorphagus!"

Bellatrix pushed her sister away. "You should _not_ be hung up on her still!" she hissed. "I burnt the one she sent me yesterday. I didn't even look at her name—I knew who it was when I saw the picture. Narcissa, you've got to stop this, or I will have to Curse some sense into you, and Merlin help your husband in the meantime."

Narcissa sighed. "I thought you would like to know."

"No, I wouldn't," snapped Bellatrix, leaning into her husband's side as he slipped his arm around her silently. "I don't want to hear about her, Cissa. Ever."

"But Bella, there's something I've got to tell you," Narcissa said pleadingly. "You'll need to know it to understand things. She told me something before she left—could I speak with you privately?"

"Fine," Bellatrix spat, pulling away from her husband after a moment. He watched the two sisters leave, wondering what Andromeda could have told Narcissa that was so important. He wouldn't risk Bella's wrath the way Narcissa did, but Bella had a soft spot for her remaining sister, whether she realised it or not.

Later that night, Rodolphus asked his wife, "What did Cissa have to say?"

Bellatrix stiffened. "A lot of nonsense about pureblood duty and how what happened isn't Andromeda's fault," she spat. "It's just stupid. I don't want to talk about it."

Rodolphus hugged his wife, but she pulled away from him, curling up on her side of the bed. "Leave me alone," she muttered, closing her eyes. "Just leave me alone."

* * *

A few days later, Rodolphus entered their room to find Bellatrix seated on the bed, her head in her hands. "What's wrong?" he asked her, frowning as he tossed his cloak over a chair. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Mother was here," Bellatrix groaned. "She wants grandchildren, and I don't. I mean—"

"Tell her she already has one," Rodolphus said in amusement.

"I did," Bellatrix smirked. "She wasn't happy. She tried to Curse me, and Rabastan shouted at her. He's quite the young man, Rodolphus. He'll make a good Death Eater."

Rodolphus raised an eyebrow in alarm, steering the conversation away from such things. "You know it's seen as our duty to produce children, Bella?"

Bellatrix wouldn't look at him, closing her fists over crackling magic. "I'm just not ready for that," she said shortly.

He nodded. "We're still young. We have time." He walked over and leaned down to press a kiss to her hair.

"Yeah," Bellatrix said dully. "We have time."

* * *

Rodolphus did not mention the subject for quite a few weeks, having noticed that Bellatrix did not welcome the idea at all. He felt annoyed with her, because, for all her rage against Mudbloods and blood-traitors, she refused her own pureblood duty of being a mother to his children. She hadn't outright refused, though, merely stating that children would interrupt her life, and that there would be time for them later.

There had always been nights that Bellatrix refused to let him touch her, but they were becoming more and more common, and Rodolphus wasn't pleased. One evening, Rodolphus had had quite enough of his wife's games, and pulled her back toward himself when she tried to draw away from him. "Enough," he hissed, his eyes blazing with anger. "I've had more patience with you than I thought I could, but that's done. Oh, don't struggle, Bella."

Bellatrix had drawn a ragged breath, her magic crackling, but Rodolphus forced her onto her back on the bed. "You can't possibly be tired all the time, nor any other excuse you've told me."

"Rodolphus," she gasped, looking up into his eyes. "Don't. Please."

"Go ahead," he told her. "Beg." He disregarded her pleas, smirking as he caressed her lovingly, teasingly.

The beautiful black-haired witch lay there beneath him, her head turned to the side. Tears ran silently down her cheeks as her husband had his way with her. Her chest was heaving with silent sobs as she tried to think of anything else but the pain Rodolphus knew he was causing.

Finally, he leaned down and kissed her lips, a sob finally escaping her. "It isn't that bad, is it, _ma belle_?" he murmured. "One of these days, you will accept your duty and conceive a child. I will see to it."

Bellatrix glared up at him through her tears, not replying. He knew she would fight him, but he knew how to bend her to his will. It was almost as if she'd had experience in the area. He smirked. He would give her lots of experience at it, until she had performed her duty.

He released her, smirking at the state she was in, then lay down beside her and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

For many months, Rodolphus abused his wife, forcing her to do whatever he pleased. After that first time, Bellatrix began to enjoy her abuse, or so it seemed to Rodolphus most of the time. He didn't understand, but accepted it anyway. At least she didn't try to get away anymore.

On another night, Rodolphus was holding Bellatrix tightly on his lap when he realised that this night was one when she would not submit to him no matter what. "Bella, why do you refuse your duty?" he murmured in her ear, kissing her neck.

"My duty is first to the Dark Lord," Bellatrix spat, receiving a sharp blow on the side of her face. "You're going to get yourself tortured," she hissed at him. "And I will be laughing at you happily—if I'm not allowed to join in your punishment." Another blow made her bow her head slightly.

"Ah, but we're discussing _your_ punishment right now," Rodolphus reminded her, chuckling evilly. "Tell me why you don't want children, Bella. Tell me why you refuse to be the proper pureblood wife."

"A child will hinder my involvement in this war!" Bellatrix hissed, feeling his hands caress her intimately. She shivered, and he laughed, biting her neck as he squeezed her tightly. "And children will distract you from _your_ duty to the Dark Lord!"

Rodolphus smirked, licking her neck before blowing softly on the same spot. She drew a sharp breath, and he chuckled at her plight. "Only for a few months," he murmured, his hands sliding over her hips and up her sides. "Then we'll have our heir, and you won't have to suffer anymore."

Bellatrix snorted, unable to move with her hands tied to the bed on either side of them. "I don't believe it," she said. "You enjoy this way too much."

"I do," Rodolphus admitted. "You've taught me well. But if you behaved, it would be more of a game and less of a punishment."

"I like the punishment more," Bellatrix said stubbornly as her husband removed her clothes, taunting and teasing her with his touch and caresses.

"The Dark Lord's taught you well," Rodolphus laughed softly, his voice sounding strangely mad. "But you will never cease to be mine, Bellatrix. You belong to me, even after your _Master_."

Bellatrix moaned as Rodolphus ceased teasing her and began her punishment, forcing her to lean forward as she sat on his lap. "I'll never truly be yours," she hissed, drawing a ragged breath as she leaned her head back against his shoulder, arching her back and moaning again. "I will always answer first to the Dark Lord, and he has commanded me to remain childless!"

Rodolphus struck her in blind fury, and she shrieked with insane laughter as he became more rough with her punishment. Through her shrieks, Rodolphus sensed the tiniest bit of remorse, but his uncontrollable anger pushed away any sympathy he may have had for her as she laughed at him. He wanted her to _suffer_.

* * *

The next morning, Rodolphus woke to the sight of Bella still chained beside the bed, her dark-haired head against the mattress. He immediately felt guilty, but pushed away the feeling. She deserved her punishment, and _sweet Merlin_ did it feel good! He smirked at her, yawning even though he wasn't sleepy.

Waving his hand, he released Bella from her chains, and she slid to the floor, still asleep. He wondered idly how long it had taken her to settle down and go to sleep, but didn't make a sound as he stepped to his wardrobe to get dressed for the day. Rodolphus did not wake Bellatrix, leaving the room once he was completely satisfied with his appearance. He glanced at his wife on the floor, then smirked and left the room quickly, lest he decide to do it all over again. There was time.

Rodolphus laughed at his own joke, heading down to breakfast. He joined his parents and Rabastan, telling them that Bella was going to sleep in. They accepted his answer, except for his brother, who seemed a little suspicious. Rodolphus didn't look at him, beginning to eat his breakfast quietly.

They were nearly finished with breakfast when an owl interrupted them, landing before Rodolphus. "House of Black," he muttered, taking the letter. "It's for Bella." He got up from the table, taking the letter and walking back to his room, entering the room quickly and quietly.

Bella had moved, and was curled up against the bed now, her face pressed into the mattress. She'd pulled one of the sheets down to wrap around herself, lying there quietly.

Rodolphus instantly felt guilty again, this time unable to push it away. "Bella," he murmured softly, letting the note fall to the floor as he hurried toward her.

She turned and looked up at him, her eyes and face void of expression. She wasn't innocent, by any means, but if she'd told him the truth last night, she wasn't to blame for her refusal of a family. "Leave me alone," she breathed. "Just leave me alone."

"Bella," he said in guilt, kneeling next to her as he drew his wand. She flinched visibly, and he said, "I'm going to heal you."

"Heal me," she laughed bitterly, wincing. Bella was breathing shallowly, as if it were a difficult task to draw breath into her lungs. "Heal me so you can do it all over again? Sure."

He sighed, pulling the sheet away from her, and began to perform various spells to lessen her pain and heal her bruises and cuts. Rodolphus bit his lip in concentration as he carefully performed several difficult spells, Bellatrix sighing softly. He couldn't bring himself to look at her face, making sure that he'd healed everything he could.

Finally, Rodolphus drew his wife to lean against him, her dark-haired head on his shoulder. "Why do we do this?" Bellatrix asked him hoarsely as he pressed a kiss into her hair.

"Because we're driven to do it," he muttered, closing his eyes. "We have no other outlet, other than torturing Muggles, which is next to no fun."

"Do you want to know something?" Bella asked him after a moment of lying there silently. "I have always been abused, even when I was little. Father abused me: that's why I hate him. He abused Andromeda too—I think that's part of the reason she left. I wouldn't be surprised if Andromeda's brat was our fourth sister."

Rodolphus couldn't help from gasping in shock. "Bella, how awful!"

Bellatrix drew a deep breath. "Now, abuse is just something that I crave," she said bitterly. "It's just natural, like I need it to live." He didn't reply, and she continued, "Because I've been misused so much, I—I've been physically damaged, Rodolphus. Even before I was promised to you, a Healer told me that there is less than a 10% chance of my conceiving a child, even if all the conditions are right."

He slipped his arms around her, feeling her body tense. Bella finally whispered, "I'm a failure, just like Mother. And I hate her too."

"Bella," he murmured, rubbing her back gently, "you are never a failure."

"I can never give you a child," she whispered, cringing against his robe. "And I know you'll always hate me for it. I can't help it, Rod. It's just me."

"I'm sure I'll be angry later," he sighed, "but I understand right now."

Bella laughed bitterly, attempting to disguise the sob that escaped her. "That's one of the reasons the Dark Lord calls me to amuse him," she breathed, still cringing. "I can't have children, so I'm a safe victim. And I know how to play. I can play better than anyone in the world—I have more practise."

Rodolphus frowned. "But you love him."

She looked up at her husband. "I don't love. I can't love, Rodolphus. I don't know how. I adore him, his power, his Darkness, but even as his most faithful servant, I do not love him."

He frowned, confused, but nodded slightly. "We exist to serve him without question," he said, quoting Bella from years before, and she gave him a rare, sad smile.

"Yes," she agreed simply.

"So, if it isn't your fault that the Lestrange line dies out," Rodolphus said, making himself cringe, "then maybe I should stop punishing you."

"But it's fun!" Bella pouted, and Rodolphus kissed her pouting lips, chuckling softly. "You wouldn't stop now!"

"Bella," Rodolphus shook his head at her, "you're so confusing. I'm sure it will happen again. You know it will."

Bella wound her arms around his neck, her forehead against his as she grinned. "I don't mind," she whispered coaxingly, "as long as you hold me afterward, like this."

Rodolphus pulled her closer and kissed her several times before grinning back at her. "Oh," he said finally. "You got a letter from your family. Or some part of the House of Black." He Summoned the letter, handing it to Bellatrix as he shifted her in his arms so that she could curl up against him and read the letter.

Barely a minute passed, and Bellatrix was cackling with glee. "Sirius got himself disowned!" she chortled. "We're supposed to go visit the tapestry again right away." She jumped to her feet, Summoning a dress from her wardrobe. "Hurry and get ready. I'll be back soon after I wash up."

Bellatrix dashed from the room, still laughing, and Rodolphus shook his head, grinning at his wife's enthusiasm. He changed into a fancier robe, scowling at himself momentarily at the hassle of it all before turning to see Bella enter the room in one of her favourite black dresses.

Rodolphus couldn't help but whistle at her, grinning when she blushed and smirked back at him. He walked up to her, reaching out and placing his hands on her waist, drawing her closer until he kissed her heatedly, muttering, "Just wait until we get home."

She giggled mischievously, wrapping her arms around his neck and returning his kisses for a moment. "I think you have two personalities," she giggled. "Sometimes you're the worst husband there ever was, and sometimes you're really nice."

"Um, thank you?" Rodolphus said, raising an eyebrow. "Shall we go now?"

"Let's," she agreed, and the two left Lestrange Manor together, Rodolphus disapparating through the wards.

Rodolphus and Bellatrix entered Grimmauld silently, both hurrying up to the drawing room. They were the last to arrive, Bella's father immediately scolding both of them for being late. They both turned away from him at the same time, both deciding to ignore him.

"No matter," Walburga interrupted her brother. She went on about how it was finally time that they got rid of Sirius after all the shame he'd brought to them and blah, blah, blah.

Bellatrix tuned her out even though their opinions of Sirius were pretty much the same. She saw fifteen year old Regulus standing alone, more pale than usual, and wondered what was going through the boy's head.

Rodolphus glanced around at them all, wondering why this gathering seemed to be so much happier than the one to get rid of Andromeda had been. _Everybody must hate Sirius,_ he thought. Well, Sirius was easy to hate. Rodolphus finally realised that Regulus was terrified and frowned, knowing that the boy was not excited to become the Black heir. Rodolphus didn't blame the young man a bit.

Narcissa and Lucius stood together, hand in hand, both watching Walburga solemnly. The young witch glanced over at her younger cousin several times, then finally caught his eye, subtly motioning him to her side.

Bellatrix and Rodolphus pretended not to notice Regulus and Narcissa standing shoulder-to-shoulder for comfort—when had Regulus grown that tall, anyway? Bellatrix was grinning at Walburga now, nodding at something she had said, but Rodolphus was still distracted by the soon-to-be Black heir. Something was strange about the young boy...it almost seemed like he disagreed with his mother.

Rodolphus finally understood when the deed was done and Sirius' face was gone from the tapestry. Brotherhood. It was the code of brotherhood that bound Regulus and Sirius together, and Regulus did not want it broken. Well, it was too late for that. Besides, being Regulus' brother hadn't kept Sirius from doing all manner of stupid, non-Black things, had it?

Rod knew that if it had been he and Rabastan, it would have been about the same. They were brothers, not super loyal to each other, but loyal just the same. Rodolphus almost disagreed too, but knew too much about Sirius from what Rabastan had told him to feel bad about the boy's being disowned.

Bellatrix was grinning delightedly, then bounced to Regulus' side, slipping her arm around him. "It's about time you became the heir!" she declared firmly, hugging him tightly to her side. "You'll be a much better representative of us, anyway!"

Regulus didn't react, merely allowing his cousin to be excited about his brother's doom. She finally danced away from him, going back to her husband, who grinned at her antics and slipped his arm around her. Narcissa sighed as she hugged her cousin, their parents already leaving the room. "I love you, Regulus," she said softly. "Remember that you're always welcome at Malfoy Manor."

"Thanks," he answered, looking straight into her eyes, and she smiled proudly at him.

He looked almost lost, and Bellatrix was about to comment when Narcissa said, "So what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to lock myself in my room and not come out until I go back to school," Regulus answered her, making Bellatrix raise both eyebrows. In the next second, Regulus had run straight past her out of the room, running up the stairs and slamming the door to his room.

"Little—" Bellatrix began, darting out the door after him.

Rodolphus hurried after her, catching up with her on the fourth floor. "Bella, leave him alone," he said quickly, grabbing her arm. "He's got to adjust to the idea. He needs time alone, like you and Narcissa did."

She stared at him, then said, "Regulus doesn't run, Rod. That means something is definitely wrong with him."

"He's just lost a brother," Rodolphus said, refusing to release her arm. "Bella, leave him alone. Please. Remember that you didn't want to talk to anyone when you were like this."

"Why is he hiding?" came Walburga's voice from downstairs, and Rodolphus groaned.

"Why couldn't they just not tell her?" he sighed.

Bellatrix hurried up the stairs, Rodolphus following her, and the two waited on the stairwell just before the last landing. Rodolphus stood to the side, hearing Walburga striding up the stairs. Bellatrix faced her at the top of the stairwell, her eyes blazing. "Leave him alone."

Walburga raised an eyebrow at her niece. "Get out of the way, Bellatrix."

"Let him adjust before you shout at him for hiding," Bellatrix ignored the woman's command. "He'll need time."

"Move, Bellatrix," hissed Walburga, "or I will Curse you."

"You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn," Bellatrix jeered. "Much less me."

Rodolphus gawked at his wife in shock, amazed that she would say such a thing to the witch that had just disowned her own son. "Bella," he said warningly, but everyone ignored him.

Walburga glared at Bellatrix, but the younger witch didn't move. "You won't help anything anyway," Bellatrix added. "Scolding Sirius never helped. I suppose Regulus has to throw a tantrum in Sirius' place now, and your presence definitely won't help that. After all, only Andromeda could ever calm the two of them down when they were upset."

Everyone stared at Bellatrix in shock, but she glared at her aunt defiantly, not a bit sorry. Narcissa was staring at her sister, surprised that Bellatrix had broken her own rule of mentioning their third. Lucius and the girls' parents had stayed downstairs, but Orion was standing with Narcissa, looking just as shocked as everyone else.

"Bellatrix, do you want to join Andromeda outside the family?" Walburga said sweetly. "I could help you with that right now. I'm in the mood."

"I'm not part of this family," Bellatrix answered stubbornly. "I'm a Lestrange and I don't give a shit. Don't bother Regulus right now. He needs time to adjust, like Cissa and I did."

"Aunt Walburga," came Narcissa's quiet voice, "Regulus probably does need a few minutes alone, without us shouting outside the door."

The witch turned and stormed down the stairs, leaving her own husband, Narcissa, and the Lestranges together on the stairs. Orion looked over at Bellatrix and said, "Girl, that was the stupidest thing you have ever done."

Bellatrix shook her head mutely, and Rodolphus supplied, "It wasn't."

Narcissa sighed. "Come on, you two," she said. "You should probably leave, and I'm not going to stick around either. Let's go." She turned and left, Orion following her down the stairs.

"Bellatrix, why?" Rodolphus sighed, and Bellatrix glared at him. "It's all true!"

They had just turned and started down the stairs when a door opened and Bellatrix hesitated, glancing toward Regulus' room. A Black blur hit her full force, and she staggered backward, almost falling against the wall as Regulus hugged her tightly, his face hidden in her dress.

Bellatrix hugged him in return, her cheek against his silky black hair. "I'm sorry," she whispered into his ear. "I know it's difficult. I hid for at least a week when Andromeda left. It's okay to hide, Reg, as long as you don't disappear forever. It'll be easier after a while."

"Thank you," he said finally, standing up and looking into her face. "I'll make sure Mother leaves you on the tapestry."

"Thanks," Bella grinned at him. "I do care about that, you know."

"I know," Regulus smirked back at her. "Now go home, Mrs. Lestrange."

Bellatrix laughed. "Just don't become like Sirius to compensate," she warned him. "Nobody will be happy about that." She hugged him again, then said goodbye. "Oh, yeah," she added, "and you can come stay at our house too."

Regulus nodded and gave her a solemn wave as Rodolphus led her down the stairs and past her aunt and uncle, straight out of the house. Bellatrix sighed, leaning against her husband as they appeared in their room at Lestrange Manor.

"That was noble of you, Bella," Rodolphus said softly, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he squeezed her gently.

"Well, someone needed to do it for him," she said decisively. "After all, you did it for me."

"Are you being fair?" Rodolphus pretended to be shocked and she swatted at him playfully.

"I don't want to think," she sighed. "Today brought back too many memories. I'm going to take a nap."

Rodolphus nodded, Summoning a book. "I'll read while you sleep," he said, and she smiled, climbing up on their bed to lie with her head on his chest. "Rest well," he told her, rubbing her back a moment before beginning to read. It wasn't long before he was distracted by watching his wife rest, and not long after that, Rodolphus drifted off to sleep as well.


	21. Chapter 21

Rodolphus sat in his father's study, propping his feet up on the desk as he chatted with his brother and Bellatrix's cousin, Regulus Black. Both younger boys were fifteen years old and getting ready to go back to Hogwarts after their Christmas break.

"Rod," Rabastan said earnestly, "look: it's about time you took us to the Dark Lord. Bella's been after you to _allow_ it, but it's not really your choice. You can either take me, or both of us, or we'll get Bella or someone else to do it. Or we'll show up on the Dark Lord's doorstep reporting that his most faithful's dear husband refused to bring us in—"

"Oh, shut up," Rodolphus sighed, shooting a glare at the younger boy. "It's all got to be in good time, you know. Bella wants to teach you a few more things before taking you to the Dark Lord."

"You have much to learn, young Rabastan," came Bellatrix's voice as the witch entered the study, moving to a seat on her husband's lap. "But a year's time should suffice if we consistently meet for you to practise."

Rabastan rolled his eyes at his sister-in-law's declaration, and Regulus said quietly, "The more time Bella has with you, the better you'll do."

The youngest Lestrange sighed. "I have no patience."

"Cultivate some," Bellatrix nodded. "Take a lesson from dear Lucius: he has the patience of an Acromantula."

"Ouch," said Rabastan. "That's the only comment you've ever made about Malfoy that hasn't been downright degrading."

"In your hearing," smirked Bellatrix. "I don't want you to be like him: you're supposed to be the third in our trio. Can't have you turning out like our suave blonde brother."

"One Lucius is enough," Rodolphus agreed, making his wife and his brother laugh.

Regulus sat there for a moment longer, hearing the three joke around a few minutes longer until the door swung open and Desmond Lestrange looked in on the four of them.

Rodolphus immediately put his feet on the floor, sitting up as Bellatrix pouted in disappointment. "Father," he said as his brother straightened up quickly.

Regulus was the only one who didn't react, and Desmond smirked around the small room. "Boys," he said to his sons. "Black."

"It's _just_ Regulus," Rabastan rolled his eyes at his father's formality.

"It's _just_ the heir to the most ancient and noble House of Black," Bellatrix smirked. "Nothing important."

Regulus raised an eyebrow at his cousin, and she laughed outright. "Don't be so proud, Bella," he smirked back at her.

Bellatrix just grinned at him, and Rodolphus glanced up at his father again. "You wish to speak to me, sir?"

"You and Bella," the man replied. "When you have a moment."

"All right," said Rodolphus, and felt his wife stiffen at Desmond's words. He embraced her subtly, Bella snuggling back against him as the oldest Lestrange left the study.

Rabastan frowned, then got to his feet. "I've forgotten something," he said. "I'll see you later. Have fun talking to Dad, _Master Lestrange_."

Regulus made his excuses, leaving the room right after the young Lestrange, and Bellatrix sighed. Rodolphus kissed her cheek. "You're so beautiful," he murmured. "I'm the luckiest man in the world."

Bellatrix smiled, winding her arms around her husband's neck for a few moments as they kissed. Finally, Rodolphus hugged her close and pressed his face into her hair. "Try not to be upset at anything Father says until we're alone again, okay?" he said softly. "He means well, but I haven't told him anything that you've told me."

"Yes, and he doesn't know…." Bellatrix slid her hand up Rod's left arm, gently caressing his Mark.

"Oh…." Rodolphus sighed, feeling Dark magic tingle through his arm. "Of course not. He would be ashamed of me: we had believed in war from a distance. Father won't approve of us being Death Eaters."

"He doesn't approve of much," Bellatrix said flatly, stubbornly.

"Well, he's about as stuffy as your father, except my father has a better sense of humour and a hotter temper," Rodolphus answered.

Bellatrix made a disapproving sound, then snuggled closer to her husband. "I still don't want to have a conversation with him."

Rodolphus sighed. "Go to our room, or somewhere private, then. I'll tell him you weren't feeling well."

She kissed him delightedly, then hurried out of the room. Rodolphus sighed and went in search of his father. "Sir," he said, finding his father in the Entrance Hall. "You wished to speak to me?"

"Where is Bellatrix?" Desmond asked with a frown.

"She went to our room," Rodolphus answered. "She wasn't feeling well."

The older man frowned at his son. "Perhaps she wasn't the best choice you ever made, Rodolphus. She has performed very badly in her duty to our family, and I shudder to think of what will happen when she finally becomes Lady Lestrange."

Rodolphus had never wanted to Curse his father more. "Bellatrix is young still," he said, forcing himself to keep his voice even and his tone low. "And you approved the match. Don't talk to me about something you could have prevented. Besides: I love her, Father. I always have."

Desmond scowled at his son. "And we have both been very foolish," he hissed with a furious glare. "Will you still love her when she is the destruction of our House? Of generations of pureblood Lestranges?"

"Even if Bella never gives me an heir," Rodolphus said quietly, his own eyes flashing angrily, "you've still got Rab."

"And _he_ wants to hear this sort of thing even less than you do," Desmond snapped.

"But he need not unless it comes to that," Rodolphus retorted. "You're being hasty, Father. Give Bella and me time."

Desmond glared at the younger wizard. "You've had seven years together, Rodolphus. Either something is wrong with the two of you, or you're not taking your responsibility seriously!"

Rodolphus didn't dare say half the things burning in his mind, glaring at his father in suppressed fury. Yes, he was very glad Bella wasn't there. "So why are we here?" Rodolphus demanded, looking around the Entrance Hall. "Who's leaving, me or you?"

Without warning, Rodolphus was slammed up against the wall, his wand in his father's hand as the older wizard pointed his own wand into his son's neck. Rodolphus made a slight protest, but became still as his father pulled up his left sleeve, exposing Rodolphus' Dark Mark.

A _Crucio_ tore through the young man, and Rodolphus writhed at the feeling of being suffocated and crushed, recalling his father teaching him the Unforgivables. "You know better!" Desmond shrieked at his son, his eyes mad with shock. "I taught you better than that! Bellatrix too?"

"Yes, Father," Rodolphus managed through the pain. "Bella and I joined the Dark Lord before we were married."

"Fool boy!" the man shouted, throwing his son to the floor and preparing another Curse.

"You wouldn't Curse one of the Dark Lord's most faithful, would you?" Rodolphus spat at his father, filled with indignation. "I don't believe he'd be too impressed with you, one of his old acquaintances. You should be happy that your sons are serving him—"

"You've led your brother astray as well!" Desmond shouted in horror. "What am I to do with you?"

Rodolphus glared up at him, filled with a loyalty to the Dark that he'd never known. "You'll lose more than just me and Bella if you send us away," he said coldly. "Rab will follow us, and we will more than likely be sent to destroy you as a sign that we remain faithful to the Dark Lord."

Desmond sneered at him. "You will not tell me what to do."

The younger man raised an eyebrow. "No? Well, when you're dying at the Dark Lord's feet, don't say I didn't warn you."

A door shut softly down the hall, and Rodolphus jumped to his feet painfully, rolling his sleeve back down as both he and his father composed themselves, turning toward the newcomer.

"Boys," came the soft voice of Rodolphus' mother.

"Mother," Rodolphus said quietly, nodding to her.

To his surprise, she walked across the room and slipped her arms around him. "So, are we disowning you, Rodolphus?"

Rodolphus sighed and hugged his mother gingerly. "I don't know," he answered. "But I love you, whatever happens."

Desmond took a deep breath, then said, "Meira, he's had the Mark for _seven years_! I can't fathom—"

Meira didn't release her son, not even glancing down at his arm. "Rabastan told me you suspected them," she answered. "He will be taking the Mark when he turns sixteen."

"He hasn't got it yet?" Desmond said hopefully.

"No," Rodolphus said darkly, "but everyone expects it, and he can't back out now. You can't make his decisions for him, Father, but I have talked to him about it all. He knows the implications."

"That doesn't change _anything_!" Desmond hissed angrily, about to shout again.

Rodolphus frowned slightly, and Meira laid her head on his shoulder. "Look out for your brother, won't you?" she said softly. "He's a little more wild than you, and not as careful. Protect him, please. As much as you can."

The boy nodded, embracing his mother carefully. "He is supposed to be our third," he told his parents. "I will do my best to protect him and look out for him."

Desmond didn't say a word, storming out of the room. Meira hugged her son tightly. "I love you," she whispered to him. "I've known your secret for a while, but I understand. Bella's really got a hold of you. It's okay. Just be careful; do you understand, son?"

"Yes, Mother," Rodolphus replied respectfully. "I'll be careful."

* * *

Rodolphus swore as the door shut on him and Bellatrix, and she turned to look up at him from her position on the bed. "He was in a bad mood?" she asked.

"He knows we're Death Eaters, and he was very angry," Rodolphus said shortly. "He tortured me, I shouted at him, and Mother stopped us from fighting. We've got to keep Rabastan away from him as much as possible. Why don't we do some off-site training with the boys? Take them to a Muggle neighborhood and teach them the ropes. It will give them some much-needed experience."

"Good idea," Bellatrix agreed, not fazed by the news at all. "The boys will be happy about that, I have no doubt. The boys want to take the Mark as soon as possible, but the Dark Lord expects me to let him know when they are ready."

"Well, let's make it soon," Rodolphus decided. "I don't want Father distracting Rabastan: if I was told to kill him—I couldn't, Bella. We've got to get them in."

"We will," Bellatrix smirked, rolling off the bed and hurrying over to slip her arms around his neck. "Come with me, Roddy. You're saying all the right things today."

Rodolphus couldn't help smirking as she led him to their bed. Her rewards were more than enough to make him forget the arguments and the pain of their relationship. He threw himself wholeheartedly into their embrace, allowing Bella to have full rein in the moment. Merlin he loved her.

* * *

Barely six months later, Rodolphus stood before the Dark Lord with Bellatrix, presenting Rabastan and Regulus to him. To their surprise, another young Slytherin had come with the boys: Barty Crouch Jr.

"Young Crouch," the Dark Lord said in amusement. "Your eyes spark with the same fire as Bella's." Barty smirked, and the Dark Lord turned to the other two boys. "Black. Young Lestrange."

"My Lord," they answered as one, kneeling before him at the same time.

"You teach them well, Bella," the Dark Lord laughed. "In unison! Well. Rise, boys." He turned and walked away from them a little, facing his other Death Eaters. "These young wizards joining us here today are from noble, pureblood families. Regulus, as you all know, or should know, is the heir to the House of Black. How fitting that such a one should join the ultimate pureblood cause: to root out those which will taint our blood, even if it be our own brother. Isn't that right, Regulus?"

"Yes, My Lord," answered the boy, looking up at the Dark Lord.

Rodolphus caught Bellatrix's left hand in his tightly, reminding her to stay still. He could feel her still trembling, even after the Dark Lord looked their way and Bella's magic crackled uncomfortably against his hand. _I love you,_ he thought to her, wishing he could embrace her and take away her sorrow.

Bellatrix watched the Dark Lord turn back to Rabastan. "Young Lestrange," he mused. "You've finally grown up."

"I have?" Rabastan said, then laughed. "Yes, My Lord."

"Good," said the Dark Lord. "You and your brother will surely do many great things with Bella's help."

"She's the best," Rabastan muttered with conviction, and saw Regulus smirk.

The Dark Lord laughed softly, then glided over to Regulus. "Your arm, Regulus." The boy raised his left arm, his sleeve rolling up on its own. " **Morsmordre!** " Regulus did not flinch at all, and Bellatrix glowed with pride, Rodolphus finally releasing her hand.

Almost immediately, Rabastan had held out his arm as well and the Dark Lord burnt it into his arm. Rodolphus felt a strong sense of pride and horror as he saw the Dark Mark burning black on his little brother's arm. _I will protect him, Mother, I swear_ , he thought to himself.

The Dark Lord now turned to the third boy, Barty Crouch Jr. He watched him silently for a few minutes, then asked, "How is your father?"

The boy's face turned sullen, and he replied bitterly, "I do not exist to babysit my Light-loving father."

"Ha!" said the Dark Lord, reaching out and clapping the boy on the shoulder. "We don't all have to be like our fathers."

"I know: that's why I'm here, My Lord," the boy answered firmly.

"Well then. Your arm, young Crouch."

The fifteen year old boy held out his arm, allowing his new master to take it into his hands. " **Morsmordre**!" As the Mark burned black on the boy's arm, Crouch hissed, "My Lord, I will do anything to serve you—even die!"

Bellatrix regarded the boy in slight amusement, though her husband could tell that she was very curious about the newest Death Eater. "Bellatrix, you and Rodolphus will be his mentor," the Dark Lord interrupted their thoughts. "The three of you will be staying afterward.

They agreed, and several minutes later, Rodolphus, Bellatrix, and Crouch Jr. stood alone before the Dark Lord. "Master, what do you wish from us?" Bellatrix asked breathlessly.

"Bellatrix, Rodolphus," said their master, "you are to instruct young Barty in the Dark Arts. I want him to master the Unforgivables as you two have, and I want you, Bella, to begin teaching him the Dark Arts that I have taught you. If all goes well, I will teach him some things myself."

"Yes," Crouch said excitedly, almost glowing with pride and excitement.

Rodolphus wanted to punch the boy for being so excited, but Bellatrix was laughing excitedly as well. "Yes, My Lord," she answered, almost giggling. "It will be a pleasure."

The Dark Lord dismissed the boy, leaving the two Lestranges with himself. "Do take care of him, Bellatrix," he said softly, caressing her face as if Rodolphus wasn't in the room. "I would be...disappointed if you damaged the boy during his training. He has some of the best Dark potential that I have seen since you received the Mark. I believe you will work well together: you are highly compatible."

"Thank you, My Lord," she said breathlessly. "He shall not be harmed."

He smirked slightly, then dismissed the two Lestranges with a wave of his hand. Bellatrix melted the instant she arrived back in her room. "Rod, he trusts me to train the best since me—!"

Rodolphus smirked at her. "Of course he does, Bella! Even Rabastan thinks you're the best, though he never stopped complaining about how horrible it is to be taught by you."

Bellatrix flung her arms around her husband and clung to him for a few moments before dancing over to the desk and plunking herself onto the chair. "I'm going to make a list so I don't forget," she said, and Rodolphus smiled.

"Just don't leave it out," he warned, walking over and leaning down to kiss her cheek.

"Stop," she commanded him. "Give me a few minutes, and then I'll play."

"Good," Rodolphus grinned. "I'll be waiting, _ma Belle_."


	22. Shut up, pup

**I've been very distracted from Scrapbook and Not Your Father because of my new story, but hopefully I'll get my act together soon. :) Don't forget to check out the co-write I'm doing with The Purple Black about Bella and Dora! It's called The Purest Black, and you'll find it under the profile Bella and Dora.**

 **Enjoy the chapter! It's an expansion of something Rabastan referred to in my other story Always.**

 **Please leave a comment or a review! Thanks! :)**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Within a year, Rabastan had improved so much in his training that Bellatrix deemed him ready to go out without her. Regulus already had this privilege, as he was a Black and previously trained in all sorts of spells, Occlumency, and stealth. Rabastan found this ridiculous, of course, but would never say so to the Dark Lord, only his brother.

One afternoon, Rodolphus and his brother were called away from Lestrange Manor to the Dark Lord. Rodolphus was to lead a raid on two different Muggle villages in the same night—without Bella. He'd never led other Death Eaters without Bella by his side, but he felt almost as confident with Rabastan beside him. There was a pack of werewolves going with them, led by Greyback.

Rabastan was thrilled to be going along, but Rodolphus was less than excited. Nevertheless, the Lestrange heir was on his guard as he gave out orders and watched his charges split up. Rabastan looked up at his brother. "Will I always be with you on missions?" he said in annoyance. "Do I have to get permission to be apart from you too?"

Rodolphus glared at his little brother. "I could have Junior take your place," he said coldly. "He's eager enough, and Bella thinks he's nearly ready to join us as the fourth. I think you should be grateful you're here without Bella—besides, Rabastan, Mother told me to protect you. When I'm sure you're safe on your own, I'll send you off with someone else. Until then, you're stuck with me, or Bella, or whoever the Dark Lord deems responsible enough for a young Death Eater. Come on: we're wasting time."

The two hurried into the village, both casting Elemental Fire on the Muggle homes before them, flames soon dancing brightly and lighting up the dimming street. All around the village, duos of Death Eaters struck, and screams rang out from every direction as the werewolves flooded into the area.

People were suddenly running everywhere, and Rodolphus grinned behind his mask as his brother fired curse after curse at the Muggles, hitting his target nearly every time. The brothers caused much damage together, only two or three Muggles attempting to stop them. "It's been nearly ten minutes!" Rodolphus shouted over the roaring flames and screaming Muggles. "We need to go!"

"The Mark!" Rabastan said harshly, joining his brother in the center of the village. "We've got to send the Mark!"

"Do it with me," Rodolphus said, his eyes glinting through his mask.

The brothers looked straight at each other, then performed the wand motion together, shouting, " **Morsmordre!** ", their wands side by side as they pointed to the sky. They shouted in triumph, feeling their Marks surge with the power of their spell as the Dark Mark began to form in the sky.

Rodolphus looked to his brother. "Moving on," he grinned before disapparating. He reappeared behind a clump of trees near another Muggle village, the sky now much darker. Rabastan showed up seconds later, and the other Death Eaters began to arrive at the same time, most of them chuckling to themselves at the havoc they'd caused. Rodolphus had already begun talking to them all quickly when the werewolves showed up, most of them growling and making altogether too much noise.

"Shut up, pup," Rabastan told the nearest werewolf, who snarled back at him without words.

"Lestrange," came an almost whiny voice, and Rodolphus cut him off.

"I haven't got time for you, Avery," Rodolphus said sharply, and heard Avery mutter something about the Lestranges hating him. He didn't care, but the next time he had a chance, he'd make Avery shriek like a girl for being an insufferable brat. "Let's go," he said.

Rabastan followed his brother, laughing at the werewolf, who was snarling at his back, shuffling off with the rest of the pack. They set fire to the village, this time from the inside of the village square, and immediately were set upon by two or three wizards. "Mixed community!" Rabastan shouted at them in mock horror. "You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

"Sure, little French boy," the one called back. "Most of us live like this rather than isolating ourselves in fancy mansions—like Lestrange Manor."

Both the Death Eaters drew a breath at the same time, the young man laughing at them. "Well, then. I was right. Rodolphus and Rabastan: how are you?"

The other two seemed to be a couple, and Rodolphus realised after a moment who they were: Frank and Alice Longbottom, two young Aurors. The witch glanced to Rabastan, saying, "What are you doing here, boy? Go home!"

Rabastan shrugged, firing spells at the three. "Don't want to," he said obstinately. "I'm right at home here."

Rodolphus chuckled, managing to get a curse in on the male Auror, and his wife fired spells at the offending Death Eater furiously. "Order members, hmm?" he mused. "In a simple Muggle community."

"This is our home," Alice glared at him. "You're intruding."

"Oh, pardon me," Rabastan smirked. "Did we interrupt your afternoon nap or something?"

A series of howls and snarls stopped their argument, and the third wizard cried in horror, "Werewolves! How could I have forgotten—it's the full moon!"

Rodolphus' heart sank. Undoubtedly that's what whiny Avery had been trying to tell him, and he'd told him to shut up. The Dark Lord was going to be furious. The two Longbottoms were gone instantly, leaving the third wizard looking very shocked and alone. Rodolphus jumped to the side, Stunning two werewolves that approached them. The Light wizard guarded himself well, still attempting to duel Rodolphus in spite of the werewolves.

"Look out!" the wizard shouted in horror, staring to the side of Rodolphus.

Rodolphus glanced to the side to see his kid brother fall under a fiercely growling werewolf, his brother screaming out in pain. The wizard was striding toward the werewolf and the boy, ignoring the Death Eater. "No!" Rodolphus roared, blasting the animal off his brother.

The terrified, pained look in his brother's eyes told it all, and the boy screamed out as his body began to change. "Rabastan!" Rodolphus cried in horror, staring in disbelief. _It isn't possible_.

The wizard Stunned the new werewolf, then turned to Rodolphus. "Get him out of here, if you want to save him and yourself," he snapped. "The Order and the Ministry have been Summoned: they'll be here soon."

Rodolphus stormed over to the culprit werewolf and put a jagged gash across the wolf's chest: the creature would bleed out before it transformed back. He looked to the wizard again, finally recognizing him through the smoke and shadows of the flames. "James Potter," he said, his voice slightly hoarse. "Thank you." Without hesitation, he sent the Mark, then reached down and grasped his werewolf brother by his fur, disapparating.

The two arrived on a grassy cliffside, Rodolphus putting a solid ward around his brother so he couldn't run off. All they had to do was to wait for night to be nearly over, and then he could get a Healer to help his brother. He knew a couple healers, hoping they would help him and his brother. He'd do whatever he had to to make sure his brother was all right.

Rodolphus allowed the new werewolf to wake up and rage around in the ward, magic crackling all around it. The wolf knew it was imprisoned, and didn't like it. Rodolphus watched the wolf for hours, even through the dark of night, lighting a fire and putting up a ward to protect himself.

It was just before the sun broke over the horizon that the older Lestrange stirred, glancing at his brother. The wolf was lying still, panting as if it sensed another change about to occur. Rodolphus winced, staring at the wolf as he thought about what his brother must be feeling.

Beams of sunlight broke into the clouds, and Rodolphus almost rejoiced, but stared in horror as the wolf gave into the human again. "Rabastan," he said worriedly, seeing the young man lying flat on his back, several tears running down his face.

"It hurts," Rabastan gasped, looking up at his brother. "Rod, I'm sorry—did you complete the mission—"

"It was fine," Rodolphus lied, not really sure what had happened after he'd left. "The important thing is you…."

"Bella would disagree," Rabastan winced, and his brother glared down at him.

"Bellatrix isn't here, Rabastan," hissed the older wizard. "I am. And I am going to find a Healer to help you."

The young man was staring up to his brother, a helpless expression on his face. "Father will disown me, won't he?"

Rodolphus glared at the green grass, annoyed that it dared to sparkle with dewdrops in the morning light. "Not if I can help it," he told his brother sharply. "I've warded you in: you can't get out. I'll be back in a few minutes, all right?"

Rabastan nodded, closing his eyes, and Rodolphus left quickly, going to a very protected home. The healer was Swedish, keeping to himself as he was a Dark wizard, which transferred over into his area of study. The man, after cursing Rodolphus for waking him up, followed him back to his brother.

"Little brother is a monster now," smirked the Healer, Rodolphus glaring at the man. "Oh, don't spoil the fun! There's time, Lestrange." He took out his wand, regarding the young boy. "The bite is on your side, I'm told. Are you scratched anywhere else?"

"No," Rabastan breathed, gasping softly as the Healer pulled back his robe and revealed the bite.

"Hmph," said the Healer. He put his wand to the bite, frowning, then cast a spell, ropes binding Rabastan before driving stakes deep into the ground. "You mustn't move," the Healer explained with a wicked smirk. "This…will make you squirm."

Rodolphus bit his lip at the healer's callous words, seeing his brother hold back a sound of fear. The Healer pointed his wand at the bite and hissed the foreign incantation, Rabastan going rigid before writhing in his bonds.

Rabastan was screaming. Rodolphus didn't recall his brother ever having screamed before in his life, but he was now. He demanded to know why the boy was suffering so, and the Healer snapped at him in Swedish. Rodolphus scowled before looking back to his mess of a brother.

Far too much time passed before the Healer withdrew his wand from Rabastan's side, the spell complete. The boy was sobbing, Rodolphus kneeling beside him as the Healer vanished the ropes. He looked down at his brother anxiously, the Healer nodding to the boy.

"That spell rips the werewolf imprint from the DNA," the healer explained. "It's highly unbearable and excruciatingly painful—any pain-relieving potions or spells interfere with the spell. He won't be a werewolf, but he'll have side effects."

"Rab," Rodolphus murmured, helping his brother sit up slightly. "Rabastan, I'm sorry...I wasn't fast enough."

"Rod," choked the boy, and his brother carefully squeezed his shoulder. "Rod, what happened after I got attacked?"

"James Potter tried to stop the werewolf, but it was too late, and then I blasted him off you," Rodolphus told him finally. "And then after you transformed, Potter Stunned you and told me to take you away and save ourselves. I guess he'd called in the Order and the Aurors and that they were on their way. You and I've been out here all night."

Rabastan glanced around, rubbing away his tears as he struggled to pull himself together. "The raid was a success?"

Rodolphus sighed, biting his lip. "I don't know," he muttered nervously. "I sent the Mark and left with you, and I haven't heard anything…."

Rabastan looked up at his brother. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I ignored the Dark Lord's Summons to stay with you," Rodolphus murmured, looking down at his seventeen year old brother.

"You idiot!" Rabastan shouted in disbelief, and Rodolphus nodded in agreement, not knowing what to say.

Rodolphus knew he would be tortured upon his return to the Circle, and determined that he would be strong through it. Rabastan was looking around them, then rested his head again, looking up at his brother's face. "Rod, you're an idiot," he sighed again. "Thanks."

The older boy shrugged, then said, "You ready to go home?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk to anyone," Rabastan groaned.

"That's fine," Rodolphus answered. "If you can stand, I'll apparate us home."

Rabastan sat up gingerly, his brother helping him to his feet. After making sure Rabastan was ready, Rodolphus disapparated. They appeared in Rabastan's room, both boys looking around for a moment. It was nearly six o' clock in the morning, and both boys had been up most of the night.

Rodolphus turned to the door. "I'm going to bed. Let me know if you need anything."

"Okay."

Rodolphus tiredly walked down the corridor, glad his parents weren't out in the halls. He entered his room, wanting nothing more than to crawl in bed and sleep. "You!" shrieked an extremely angry-sounding voice.

 _Damn_. He'd forgotten about Bellatrix.

"Where have you been?" she nearly screamed at him. "We thought you'd been captured! The Dark Lord—" Bellatrix advanced on him, slamming him painfully against the wall as he winced at the feeling of her red-hot wandtip in his neck. "You _ignored_ his call, Rodolphus! Do you understand what that means? Do you want to be killed? Do you want him to make me kill you?...because right now, I _would_!"

"Bellatrix," he murmured, not moving, "last night, Rabastan was attacked by a werewolf, and I went to a Dark healer for help. I've been out all night to make sure Rab would be okay—"

"Oh, I'm so glad you stayed to make sure he wouldn't bleed out," Bellatrix scathed. "How much more important than obeying our _master_!"

Rodolphus looked into her angry black eyes and sensed something more happening in her mind. "Bellatrix?" he asked softly. "I know I'm in trouble, but I'll be okay. I'm not rebelling, or anything: I was protecting Rab, and he belongs to the Dark Lord as well. I don't think losing our allies to the werewolves was part of the plan. I'll return to the Dark Lord and receive my punishment. This won't be happening again, Bella, I promise."

To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around him, her head against his chest. He held her carefully, realising that her entire body was trembling. "Bella," he murmured, kissing her head softly. He could feel the Dark Lord's magic all over her: she'd been severely tortured. Rodolphus couldn't imagine what their Lord had done to his wife while he'd been gone and especially when he'd refused to respond to the Summons. "Bella," he groaned, "I'm so sorry!"

Bellatrix didn't answer, still holding to him firmly. Rodolphus led her over to the bed and crawled up on it, holding Bella close. He wanted to tell her he loved her and that it would all be better eventually, but he wasn't sure that was what she wanted to hear. Rodolphus had known for years that Bellatrix wasn't perfectly sane, but the Dark Lord certainly wasn't helping her mental state. Confused and exhausted, he kissed her black hair again and rested his head against hers, allowing himself to fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

Rodolphus was awakened by his Dark Mark burning fiercely and jumped out of bed, quickly changing his robes before hurrying out of his room, smoothing his hair into place. Rabastan came hurrying out of his room, looking very, very annoyed, and the young man asked, "You too?"

"Yeah," Rodolphus answered, and disapparated. He entered the Riddle mansion and hurried to the great hall, Rabastan right on his heels. Without hesitation, he threw open the doors and strode into the room.

The Dark Lord did not even greet him. " **Crucio**!"

Rodolphus gritted his teeth with the pain, forcing himself to remain on his feet and silent under the Curse. When the spell was lifted, Rodolphus continued into the room, approaching the Dark Lord and kneeling. "My Lord," he murmured. He was left kneeling there for some time before he realised his brother had gotten the same Curse. _It wasn't him!_ Rodolphus thought in horror, biting his tongue before he could tell the Dark Lord to leave his brother alone.

"Would the two of you care to explain yourselves?" the Dark Lord spoke coldly, and neither of them stood, both realising Bellatrix was standing at the Dark Lord's side, Greyback and Avery apart from them.

"My Lord," Rabastan stopped his brother from speaking, "we were painfully unaware that last night was the full moon—I was bitten during the raid and we were getting help from a Healer."

"He was unconscious," Rodolphus added. "Until I'd warded him in and let him rage. He was only conscious in human form for a little while this morning before the cure and after."

Greyback was glaring at the two Lestrange brothers, and Bellatrix asked, "Cure?"

Rodolphus glanced up, then finally stood, looking at his wife and the Dark Lord. "He won't remain a werewolf, and I killed the beast that did the deed. Also, My Lord, I did not respond to the Summons because I do not well know the Dark healer that helped us; I did not want to leave my brother alone with him. My humblest apologies."

The Dark Lord smiled, unnerving Rodolphus greatly. He then dismissed Avery and told Greyback to keep his cubs more under control, sending the Alpha werewolf away as well. "Rodolphus Lestrange, you had been showing great promise…." he said softly, and Rodolphus chilled at his voice. "I want your memory of the raid last night."

"Yes, My Lord," the man answered, instantly drawing his wand and releasing the memory, placing it in a small vial that the Dark Lord had conjured. "I must say that there is a slight chance that my brother and I have been identified as Death Eaters by the Ministry and the Order: we met some of them at the second village and they knew us."

"Well, then," the Dark Lord mused, a smirk gracing his lips, "you might not need your masks anymore."

"Oooh!" said Bellatrix, almost clapping her hands in glee. "If they don't, I won't!"

"I will check with the Death Eaters at the Ministry," the Dark Lord told them, giving Bellatrix an almost fond smile. "In the meantime, _boys_ , stay away from werewolves."

Rodolphus and Rabastan agreed as one, looking straight at their master. The Dark Lord regarded Rodolphus for a moment, then said, "If you get the chance, bring that Healer to me. I want to offer him a place with us."

Rodolphus nodded, and they were dismissed with a wave of their master's hand. They were both hurrying down the hall toward the mansion doors when Bellatrix caught up to them, Rodolphus almost turning away from her. He caught himself in time as her hand crept into his and he wondered what on earth she was doing.

They went straight back to their home, and Rabastan left the two alone, hurrying to his room. Rodolphus turned to Bellatrix. "What?"

She looked at him blankly for a moment, then murmured, "Rodolphus, I—I'm worried."

"What's wrong?" he asked. _And why does holding my hand make it better? Or are you trying Legilimency on me? As if that's necessary when you're by my side, anyway._

"Regulus is acting strange, and you're infuriating the Dark Lord," Bellatrix began, her words beginning to spill over themselves. "Rabastan is and isn't a werewolf, and Mother and Narcissa won't leave me alone—what is going on?"

"Well, I'm through with that," Rodolphus said softly. "Rabastan has to adjust to what just happened to him: he was just imprinted as a werewolf only to have the wolf ripped from him. And if your mother and sister are bothering you, you needn't allow them in our home."

"I went to Malfoy Manor to see if you were there," Bella said bitterly. "And they were there, telling me I'm not a good enough pureblood witch. I've always been told that. The Dark Lord told me that last night. He said if I was better, you and Rabastan wouldn't misbehave so much."

Bellatrix looked shocked at her own words, and Rodolphus stared into her eyes, his heart aching for her. "Bellatrix," he said in horror, "it's not your fault what my brother and I do. You are not responsible for us, and in my eyes, _ma belle_ , you are perfect."

She looked down, her fingers twining around his as a tear dripped onto their hands. "But not in his eyes."

Rodolphus squeezed her hands, anger burning deep at his core. "Bellatrix Black Lestrange, I love you," he told her firmly. "No matter what he makes us do to each other. No matter what anyone says to us about each other. I will always know you are perfect; you are _perfect_ for me."

She looked straight into his eyes before sliding her arms around his chest, her forehead against his. "Make love to me," she requested. "My husband."

Shocked, but not too shocked to comply, Rodolphus obeyed promptly.


	23. Chapter 23

**I finally had an entire day off work to write! Not that this took all day, hahahaha I still had lots of other stuff going on. Enjoy!**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Rodolphus sat in the study at Malfoy Manor with Lucius and Rabastan, who was laughing as magic streamed lazily from his fingertips. "Avery got knocked out by a simple spell," Rabastan chuckled, "so then I brought him back from the raid—"

"Why did you bring him back?" Rodolphus shook his head slightly, fingering his wine glass. "It's not as if we care whether he gets captured or not."

"To dump him at the Dark Lord's feet," Rabastan grinned. "He's pretty stupid for a Ravenclaw, you know. He's been unbearable since the werewolf incident, and I wanted to get my revenge when I had the chance—Avery's pretty pathetic: his daughter's smarter than he is—and cuter, too."

"What?" Rodolphus and Lucius both raised an eyebrow, Rodolphus adding, "I didn't know he had a daughter."

"She's almost two," Rabastan shrugged. "I was at Marshall's home a few days ago and saw her. Her name is Lauren."

Lucius smirked at the younger Lestrange. "Planning her future, are you? Best for you to start your wife young: she might submit better then."

Rabastan snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy. I don't want to be seventeen years older than my woman. That's sick."

"I'm surprised the thought disturbs you," Lucius said. "Not much else does."

"Your face disturbs me," Rabastan retorted, his magic crackling before he smirked. "Every time we take Dementors on a raid, I'm forced to see you over and over again."

Rodolphus couldn't help laughing at his brother's statement, wondering how much wine his little brother had had since arriving at Malfoy Manor. "Honestly though," he said to his brother. "Any girls caught your attention?"

Rabastan made a face. "None that I want to tie myself to," he said. "You're quite the example, Rod."

Lucius laughed out loud, and Rodolphus felt himself turn red with anger and embarrassment, but Rabastan continued, "I don't like girls, and I don't think I want to get married. Ever."

Rodolphus frowned, but Lucius answered first. "If your brother and his wife have no children, it will be required of you—"

"Well, I won't," Rabastan said firmly. "I don't like children."

"Well then, you should avoid Malfoy Manor after a few months."

The two Lestranges glanced at each other, then turned back to the smirking Malfoy heir. "What the hell?" Rabastan said. "Cissa's _pregnant_?"

Rodolphus rolled his eyes after the initial shock. "Is that so hard to believe, Rab? She loves him."

Rabastan shook his head. "I'm surprised it took so long is all."

"Narcissa wanted to tell her sister before anyone else found out," Lucius sighed. "That is the only reason you were called here. Narcissa says Bella's been avoiding her—I don't care to know why, but I do know that it bothers Narcissa."

"Oh, and this news won't make her run screaming in the opposite direction," Rabastan rolled his eyes. "If there's anything Bellatrix hates, it's someone who's perfect."

Rodolphus wasn't listening to the two anymore, thinking of Bellatrix and wondering how she was reacting to Narcissa's news. He wouldn't be surprised if she slapped her sister over it all and hoped Bellatrix would be all right. After a few moments, the three men got up and left the study, heading down the corridor toward the Entrance Hall. Rabastan was in a very talkative mood, which proved the more ill when the two women entered the hall.

The younger Lestrange immediate catcalled at the two, Lucius looking quite murderous and Rodolphus sighing. Bellatrix laughed, her arm around her younger sister proudly. "Isn't it wonderful?" Bellatrix grinned at her sister. "She'll do a better job at motherhood than ours did."

Narcissa blushed slightly, going to her husband and leaning into his side. "Don't flatter me," she protested. "You don't know that!"

"You haven't an evil motherly bone in your body," Bellatrix dismissed her sister's words.

"Yeah—" Rabastan began, his eyes glinting, but Rodolphus silenced him, receiving a glare.

"Go home, Rab; you're drunk," Rodolphus said in disgust. "He's already been talking too much."

Bellatrix giggled, joining the two brothers and taking both of them by the arms. "Lucius, you should know better than to let Rabastan drink with you and Rod," she scolded him laughingly before leading the brothers out of the mansion.

* * *

Rodolphus wasn't surprised that everyone left him alone as soon as they arrived back at the mansion. He hid himself away, not wanting to see his brother or his wife for a while. He showed up for dinner, Bellatrix much quieter than she had been at her sister's home. Rabastan seemed more subdued as well, and the boys' mother seemed to be suspicious that something had happened, but she said nothing.

After supper was finished, Bellatrix followed her husband to their chambers. Rodolphus did not look at her as he sat down at the desk, ignoring her presence. He could see her watching him from the small mirror on his desk and tensed until she turned away.

Rodolphus watched his wife put on a simple house dress as he pretended to look over some papers. Finally, she turned to him again, sighing, "Rod?"

He wanted to ignore her, to keep from lashing out, but he couldn't. Rodolphus Lestrange turned to Bellatrix coldly, and she flinched at his accusing gaze. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her expression earnest and sorrowful.

His anger was instant as he crossed the room and glared at the witch. "I don't want apologies, Bellatrix," he hissed. "I want obedience!"

"I—" Bellatrix began softly, reaching out her hands toward him, but he didn't feel like listening to her.

"Shut up!" A red hand print soon stood out once more on the young woman's face. "I think you might be right: you are a failure."

A twinge of guilt ran through him as he witnessed her heartbreak in her beautiful black eyes. "Rod," Bellatrix hurried to speak, reaching out to grasp his robe pleadingly, "let me explain—!"

His glare silenced her as he grabbed her by the wrists and forced her backward toward their bed. He pushed her down onto the bed, falling on top of her as he held her tightly. Bellatrix was breathing with difficulty, staring up at him as she tried to think of something to say to him. Rodolphus didn't give her time to speak, a _Crucio_ running through her and making her tense beneath him.

"Bellatrix," he murmured, kissing her lips as she writhed under his Curse, "if you won't be a dutiful wife, you'll at least be a decent whore...you've been well taught, you know."

"I didn't want this!" Bellatrix gasped, her husband disrobing her easily. "I didn't want any of it!"

"But you do," he hissed in her ear before kissing her cheek, her jaw, her neck. He felt her swallow hard, the witch attempting to force her emotions away. "You can cry," he breathed as he caressed her lovingly before becoming more rough, her breathing becoming ragged. "I won't stop you."

She was chained down to the bed to keep her from moving, but she looked up at him and gasped, "Rodolphus, I mean it! I truly do! I wanted us to be happy—!"

Bellatrix bit back her cries as Rodolphus mercilessly raped her, his _Crucio_ s adding both more pain and pleasure to her situation. He smirked down at her faraway expression, touching her face and kissing her gently to remind her he was there. He heard her strangled sounds of pain that she tried to hide, her eyes stormy and filled with hurt.

When he'd finished with her, he wrapped his arms around her, cradling her against himself, falsely lovingly. "If you would behave," he began, pressing a hard kiss to her lips.

From her mind, he heard a single thought: _I tried_.

"You did not try," he said coldly, glaring at her, and a small sob escaped the witch. He laughed softly, hugging her to himself. "Go on," he encouraged her. "Cry."

Bellatrix gasped for breath under his following Curse, writhing in his arms. Her mind was closed to him now, Rodolphus finally kissing her hair again before holding her close. She refused to cry, but hid her face in his chest as her whole body shuddered from his abuse.

* * *

Barely two or three weeks later, Bellatrix ran from their family lunch, called to the Dark Lord. Rodolphus was annoyed until Bellatrix returned, looking very upset. He went to her side, but she hissed and shoved him away. "Regulus is missing!" she groaned, sounding deeply wounded. "Rod—he can't be gone! The Dark Lord couldn't even trace him through the Mark!"

Rodolphus looked at his wife dully, going to make a callous comment, but decided against it. "Gone?"

Bellatrix clenched her fists, hiding her face in the fabric of her sleeves. "Gone," she whispered brokenly. "The Dark Lord believes him dead. Oh—!"

Rodolphus didn't approach her, didn't say anything. The young witch fell to her knees in the Entrance Hall, a cry of anguish and anger escaping her. "Why is everyone leaving me?!"

A door slammed down the hall and Rabastan came running into the room, stopping very quickly. "Bella?" he asked, glancing to his brother nervously. "Why don't we go out and make some trouble tonight?"

"I—I—" Bellatrix looked up at Rabastan, her eyes glowing with slight madness. "Yes...let's kill. Avenge my cousin."

Rodolphus had never seen Bellatrix look so calm about going out on a raid before, and it frightened him. "Shall we have Junior go with us?"

Bellatrix nodded, and Rabastan sent the word, the three waiting on the fourth in the Entrance Hall. Once the seventeen year old Crouch boy had arrived, Bellatrix stood and addressed the three men. "Regulus is...gone. The Dark Lord believes him to be dead. We are going out tonight to avenge him…." She fell silent, and the two younger boys agreed firmly, the four immediately setting out together.

Rodolphus remembered that night as one of the bloodiest raids there ever had been in the history of Death Eaters. Rabastan and Junior seemed to have caught Bellatrix's fever, and the three were making short work of anyone and anything that angered them—indeed, anything that breathed, moved, or otherwise disturbed their peace.

It was very late when the four returned to Lestrange Manor, their robes covered in blood and smoke, torn from their quick escapes. The Lestranges allowed Junior to stay, Rabastan pointing the boy to his room as Rod and Bella went to their own room.

Rodolphus put his hand on Bella's shoulder once she was dressed, then quickly removed it, stepping back as she turned to glare at him. "Bella," he murmured, then sighed heavily. "Are you satisfied with your revenge? Or shall we do it again tomorrow?"

Bellatrix looked away out the window, her shoulders slumping slightly. "He's gone," she whispered, and Rodolphus stepped closer to her, putting his arm around her. Bellatrix tensed, refusing to relax against him. She would never trust her husband again—not when he abused her so callously and carelessly.

"Unless you're in the mood for pain, leave me alone," she glared at him, pulling away and going to curl up on her side of their bed.

Rodolphus scowled at her still form upon the bed, then went to his own side of the bed and lay down. It wasn't enough for her to ruin his family: she had to ruin their marriage too.


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey! Finally updating Scrapbook. :) I think this chapter was one of my favourites to write...I love Rabastan, ahahahaha**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Some months later, Bellatrix returned home from Malfoy Manor and allowed a welcome-home kiss from her husband. "I have a nephew," she muttered uncomfortably. "He's four months old and his name is Draco."

Rodolphus hugged his wife tightly, the turmoil in his mind fully held back from his face and actions. "Good," he murmured, kissing her head before releasing her cautiously. "The Malfoys have done well." He walked away from Bellatrix, sure that she was staring at his back in shock. The man didn't stop, completely leaving the room.

That evening in their room, Bella bit her lip slightly as she watched her husband get ready for bed. Rod was sure that she was watching him for any sign of anger or a coming storm.

Truthfully, he was a tiny bit upset, but he had been more upset for the idea of a child more than the actual child. Rodolphus sighed a little as he slipped into the bed next to Bellatrix. "Good night," he murmured, lying down and shutting his eyes.

Moments passed, but he didn't sleep, and he knew she wasn't sleeping either. It had been over an hour since they'd turned out the lights when Rodolphus heard his wife's unusually soft voice. "Rodolphus?"

A second passed, and he answered, "Yes, Bella?"

She shuffled herself to sit up in the bed, her hand suddenly grasping his in the dark. "A few weeks ago, the Dark Lord—" Rodolphus' heart sank: of course she wanted to talk about her master "—the Dark Lord told me of a prophecy that has been made concerning him and a child that will supposedly defeat him," Bellatrix finished, then bit her lip. "Of course, it is ridiculous to say that a child could do what the entire Auror Office has failed to do, but—"

"Bellatrix, you're rambling," Rodolphus said, squeezing her hand. "And obviously, I know the power of our Lord. What are you saying?"

"It's stupid," sighed the twenty-nine year old witch, then murmured, "But just in case—we're not through with purging the world. I'm just—I'm worried, Rod."

"Well, _ma Belle_ ," he said firmly, "whatever happens, we will remain faithful to the Dark Lord. We will not swerve from our loyalties for anyone."

The witch wrapped her arms around him, lying halfway on top of him. "Good," she said flatly. "Good, Rodolphus."

Rodolphus pulled her to lie on top of himself more fully, feeling her tense. He merely slipped his arm across her back and kissed her head. "Are you all right to sleep now?" he murmured.

She nestled her face against his shoulder, agreeing, and he hugged her gently before readjusting their blankets to cover them warmly. It was more comfortable to have something to hold, Rodolphus thought to himself, almost smiling. He missed the younger Bellatrix who was more willing to be embraced and petted, but he would take what he could get from what he had made of the poor witch.

* * *

About a year later, Rodolphus was sitting in the study with his father when he felt Bellatrix's magic crash against the wards, the witch seeming very agitated. Rodolphus got to his feet, immediately hurrying down the corridor to where the wards had been disturbed. "Bellatrix!" he gasped, seeing her collapsed against the wall in the entrance hall.

A door slammed down the hall and his brother ran down the hall toward them, his face as pale as snow. "Rodolphus," he gasped, yanking up his brother's sleeve, "Merlin you have the understanding of a flobberworm—look at your Mark! Something bad has happened!"

Rodolphus glanced down at his Mark. It was strangely faded, not as obvious as it usually was. Rodolphus remembered a sharp pain in his arm before his Mark had gone numb and then nothing, but figured it was just the Dark Lord wanting to torture someone. "Oh."

"He's gone," Rabastan breathed. "His magic isn't in the Mark...there's no power—Rodolphus, the Dark Lord is—"

"He ISN'T GONE!" shrieked Bellatrix, looking up at them before jumping to her feet and storming over toward the two. "We will find him—we have to! He's our master, and we will serve him as his most faithful!"

"Bella," Rodolphus sighed, but she wasn't listening.

"We will find him!" she screamed at her husband, grabbing him by the front of his robes, her magic crackling fiercely, hotly.

Rodolphus nodded wordlessly, and she clung onto him for support, the man holding her to himself carefully. "Bella, we'll find him," he promised. "We'll do whatever we have to."

Bellatrix was shaking from head to toe as she clutched her left arm. "We must."

Rabastan was staring at the witch, seeming nervous about her actions for probably the first time in his life. "Bellatrix, we will go about our normal lives for a few weeks and listen for information before we do anything," he said firmly. "We've got to be very careful now: the Ministry will be coming down on the Death Eaters very hard now that they probably think the world is a lot safer."

The witch clutched her husband tightly, nodding into his robe. "We will be faithful," she muttered, a hysterical note in her voice. "We will serve him…."

The two brothers shared a look of concern: it was never good when Bellatrix became silently hysterical. "Bellatrix," Rodolphus murmured, cradling her in his arms. "Oh, Bella…."

Rabastan went to the window as an owl fluttered to the sill. "Malfoy owl," he muttered. "I bet Lucius felt it too…. He wants us to meet over there at Malfoy Manor."

"I'm not going," Bellatrix hissed. "I know what he'll do: he'll pretend he had nothing to do with the Dark Lord at all! I won't go, and neither should you!"

"I'll go," Rabastan said. "Rod, you stay here."

"If you _dare_!" Bellatrix shrieked at the younger Lestrange, "I will—"

"I would never deny the Dark Lord and defect from the Death Eaters," Rabastan said coldly. "I do not take after your cousin, Bellatrix."

The twenty year old quickly left the Manor as Bellatrix shrieked in fury. Rodolphus held her back forcefully, the woman beating her fists against his chest in her mad anger. He pulled her down the hall into their room, holding her close, her chest heaving with emotion. "Bella," he murmured, and she let out a sob. "Bellatrix, don't cry for the Dark Lord." Rodolphus was annoyed that she would feel so deeply about it.

Bella sniffed, "No, no, Rod. For us. For everything that should have been."

Rodolphus did not understand what she meant at all, but held her dutifully until she fell into a fitful sleep, having exhausted herself.

* * *

In the next few days, it was confirmed among the Death Eaters that the Dark Lord really had disappeared. Rodolphus was surprised to find that his brother was almost happy about it, but Bellatrix was devastated, but he—Rodolphus couldn't have cared less. It didn't mean anything to him, which surprised him more than anything.

Three weeks after the Dark Lord had fallen, Bellatrix came home from visiting her sister and flung open the door to the study, revealing the two brothers talking together very seriously. "Get out," she said to Rabastan, seating herself on her husband's lap. "Shoo!"

Rabastan rolled his eyes at the two, then left as Rodolphus frowned slightly at the woman. "Something to say?" he asked her.

"Well," Bella's voice trailed off as she smirked down at his hands on her waist, "what are you doing?"

"What are _you_ doing?" Rodolphus retorted, raising an eyebrow as Bella twisted to face him halfway, kissing him intensely. "Bella..." he moaned through her kisses.

"Take me to our room," she demanded in a whisper, rising from his lap as she smirked down at him.

"Why not stay here?" Rodolphus complained, reaching out for her arm. "We're alone..."

Bellatrix avoided his hand. "The wards are better on our room," she giggled. "It's more...private."

Rodolphus couldn't help but jump up and rush to take her into his arms again. "You're too much," he muttered as he kissed her heatedly. "You know that, don't you?"

She giggled again, then caught his hand and pulled him from the room down the corridors to their room. Thankfully, there was no one in the halls to see them. Bellatrix wasted no time once they were in their room, and Rodolphus barely had a chance to wonder what had got into her as she pulled him down onto their bed.

She grasped his hair, pulling him closer, moaning beneath him, and he kissed her slowly, passionately as he touched her. She was enjoying him as much as he was enjoying her, and the two soon lay wrapped in each other's arms, gasping for breath as they grinned at each other like school children.

"Bellatrix," Rodolphus breathed, holding her reverently as if she were a priceless treasure, "oh my god, Bella."

"Hush," she commanded him, putting a finger across his lips as she lay in his arms. "You can tell me I'm the best: I know it."

"Yes, you are," he smirked, sighing in pleasure as he kissed her head. "I love you."

Bella seemed slightly disturbed, but then said, "I would love you, but it hurts too much."

Rodolphus frowned down at her. "Of course it does, Bella. Love is a bitch."

She grinned up at him. "Am I your love?"

He laughed and kissed her smirking lips. "Yes, Bella, you are."

* * *

Three weeks later, Rodolphus was interrupted from writing a letter by Bella rushing into the room and standing in the doorway, grinning with glee and blushing. "What have you done?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he smiled up at her. She had definitely grown into a better mood with the Dark Lord gone.

"I—I—" Bellatrix bit her lip, then came over to sit on his lap, her new favourite place. "I've got a plan," she sighed, looking down at the floor. "Two of the Order are rumoured to know where the Dark Lord went...we've got to go find out if they really do know where he is."

"Bella..." he frowned. That wasn't at all what he had expected her to say—not that he'd know what she was going to say. "Who is it? When? They're sure to be well-protected—"

"We've got acquaintances that will help us break the wards," Bellatrix said, "but it's up to you and me and the boys to torture the truth out of the two. I'm still not finished planning, but it should be fairly soon."

* * *

Bellatrix angrily flung a Curse in her brother-in-law's direction. "When the Dark Lord returns and tortures you to a crisp," she hissed at the blonde wizard, "I will say that I did everything I could to keep you from your own folly."

"On the other hand," Lucius said smoothly, "we did everything to keep you from—"

"From bringing the Dark Lord back!" shrieked the witch, magic crackling in her hands.

"Well, at least Lucius is here," Junior said nervously, glancing between the older wizard and witch.

"For what reason?" Bellatrix spat. "So that he can say he tried?"

Rabastan rolled his eyes at the three. "This was a very bad idea."

Lucius nodded slightly. "This _is_ a very bad idea."

" _YOU_ were a bad idea!" Bellatrix shrieked at him. Everyone turned at the sound of Rodolphus Lestrange laughing.

"Come on," Rodolphus chuckled. "Let's go." He held out his hand to his wife, who took it with a huff and allowed him to Side-Along her to their destination.

The others soon arrived, their plan to disrupt the wards together already beginning as they raised their hands together, magic crackling between them all. The front door of the house burst open before they had finished, and Rodolphus found himself casting the first spell toward the two Order members as the wards fell before them, the other eight leaving them immediately.

The four Death Eaters soon forced the two Aurors back into their home, wards going back up over the home. Rabastan closed off the Floo, smirking behind his mask. "No escaping, now," he chuckled.

To Rodolphus' surprise, they were able to subdue the two Aurors without any injuries to themselves, binding the two separately on the floor. "We won't talk," said the man firmly.

Junior snorted. "I wouldn't say that. Everyone talks when she tortures, Longbottom."

"True," Bellatrix giggled, ripping off her mask as she glared down at the two.

The woman on the floor stared at Bellatrix. "Lestrange? Since when were women Death Eaters?"

Bellatrix cackled with laughter. "You sound like my father. And like Rod's father. Neither of whose opinion I hold in high esteem."

"You don't hold anyone's opinion in high esteem," Rabastan rolled his eyes at her, turning from the window.

"Except the Dark Lord," Junior reminded him.

"Ah, yes," said Bellatrix, stalking over to the bound man and digging her wand into his neck, "the Dark Lord. Where is he?"

"Do you really expect us to know?" the man sighed. "We don't know any more than you do, Bellatrix."

"Not good enough," she hissed, a Curse burning down through the man's neck and shoulder. "Tell us where the Dark Lord has gone!"

Frank Longbottom scowled across the room, gritting his teeth. "We don't know," he spat.

Bellatrix glared down at him, about to Curse him again when she seemed to notice something, grinning wickedly at the man. "Tell us what you know about the Dark Lord," she purred in his ear, "or the sweet little wifey will hurt."

Rabastan pulled off his mask and slipped over to the witch, grasping her hair with his left hand as he pressed the tip of his wand into her throat. "Pity," he mused, "she's quite the woman, Longbottom."

Frank glared at the man, but didn't speak, and Rabastan smirked. " _ **Crucio**_ ," he said happily, the woman's body writhing against his as she glared up at him. "Aw, I could get used to this," he grinned.

"Rab!" Bellatrix glared at him, then sniggered. "I told you you should get yourself a woman, but you wouldn't listen!"

"Not when I could just do this," Rabastan smirked down at the suffering witch. She swore at him and he merely laughed, releasing the spell, but not her hair. "You could tell us too, you know. I'm sure your dear husband told what he knows. I'm sure that's what normal husbands and wives do...I wouldn't know, of course."

Rodolphus shook his head slightly at his brother's antics. Rabastan had been acting as if everything was a party lately, and it was becoming annoying. Shaking back his hood and vanishing his mask, Rodolphus stepped forward.

Rabastan glared up at his brother. "Back off. She's mine."

"I wouldn't dream of taking your fantasy from you," Rodolphus scowled at the younger wizard. "You need to get a hobby, and I don't mean like this, either."

"Because we all dream of being high society puppets," Junior said bitterly, vanishing his own mask.

Alice gasped in horror. "Barty! Go home to your father—you're so young! This isn't the life you should be living!"

Rabastan looked very annoyed with the younger man. "Hey," he said to Alice, "you shouldn't be concerned about him. I'm the good looking one here."

"I hate you," Alice spat at him, and he threw back his head and laughed.

"I hate my father," Junior shrugged. "There is no reason why I shouldn't be here, among my friends and allies."

"Aw, he loves us," Rabastan rolled his eyes. "Well, at least, he loves Bella—"

"Everyone loves Bella," Junior smirked. "Even—"

Rodolphus pointed his wand at the bound man on the floor. "Where has the Dark Lord gone, Longbottom. Tell us now, or suffer."

Bellatrix seemed to bounce up and down on her toes with excitement as the man refused to speak, refusing even to look at them. " **Crucio!** " she shrieked happily, her spell joining Rodolphus' wandless curse. The man cried out, writhing on the floor.

"Stop!" Alice cried, looking afraid for the first time. "Don't hurt him!"

"Tell us," Rabastan hissed in her ear, smirking as he felt her shudder. "Tell us what you know—"

"Don't tell them!" cried the man, and Bellatrix rolled her eyes at him, carelessly throwing a stronger Dark curse in his direction, breaking bones and drawing blood.

"Please!" Alice cried, a sob in her voice. "We only know that the Dark Lord seems to have disappeared to Albania—"

Her husband shouted at her, but Rod and Bella distracted him, and Alice sobbed again, not going on. Rabastan allowed another _Crucio_ to surge through her body, and she shrieked in pain before being able to partially fight off the pain of it. "You do talk," he murmured in her ear. "Anything else to tell us, Alice darling?"

Frank motioned her not to speak, and she looked at him as tears ran down her cheeks, her chest heaving as she struggled to breath after Rabastan's curse. Rodolphus glared at the man, then turned to the woman on the floor. " _ **Crucio**_!"

The witch shrieked in pain, writhing more desperately, though the younger Death Eater didn't release her, his own Curse rushing through her eagerly. "Stop!" Frank cried in horror, seeing his wife shudder as Bellatrix added her magic to the spell. "Stop! No more!"

"Talk," Rodolphus shrugged, not letting up the spell. The woman would never recover from their Curses, but he would not leave them alive after they had revealed their faces to the two Aurors.

"He's not really dead, just defeated!" Frank gasped, staring at his suffering wife. "He was supposedly seen in Albania, but he's more like a spirit or something—I swear, that's all we know!"

The three released their spell on the woman, Bellatrix walking over to Frank, who was staring at his wife with tears splashing down his face. "Don't be sad," she whispered. "You can join her, if you wish."

Frank didn't reply, finally looking down at his hands that were shaking with emotion. Rodolphus looked down at Alice again, seeing the woman writhing on the floor, whimpering, "Neville. Neville."

He kicked her in annoyance, drawing a scream from the woman. "Shut up," he told her. "Come on: let's finish this." He pointed his wand at Frank, and Rabastan got to his feet, joining his brother. "Together, Bella." The three Lestranges sent Curse after Curse, very ritual-like, until Frank was writhing next to his wife, sobbing senselessly against the floor.

Rodolphus raised his wand, prepared to send the _Avada_ when Junior hollered from somewhere in the back of the house. "Guess what?" he shouted with delight. "They have a child—a son. He's warded in back here; come see!"

Bellatrix turned and strode toward the back of the house, Rodolphus and Rabastan following her. They arrived in the room to see Junior with his wand pointed at the child, attempting to break through the ward. "Got to be a difficult ward if they're unresponsive and it still won't budge," she smirked. "One point for Alice, I'm assuming."

"An _Avada_ would do it," Junior muttered, and Rodolphus was surprised at the expression of anger on Bellatrix's face.

The witch raised her wand and violently cursed Junior against the wall. "I won't let you kill a helpless child just because you're too stupid to get the ward open!" she screamed at him as Rodolphus stared in shock.

Rabastan laughed. "Yeah, we don't go around trying to kill helpless children—not like the Dark Lord."

Bellatrix froze as the words hung in the air, then whirled on Rabastan, her wand pointed straight at his heart. "How _DARE_ you?" she shrieked, a Dark curse flying from her wand tip.

Rodolphus stepped between his brother and his wife without thinking, parrying the spell. "Bella," he breathed, "Bella, please—we couldn't touch the child anyway—it's an Auror's child, and there's no telling what enchantments are around him. Look: we've got to get out of here."

"I wouldn't have killed the brat anyway," she snapped, turning back to drag Junior to his feet.

"The Dark wizard sensors have been going off since you Cursed me," he laughed, hurrying along with her.

"Idiot boy," she snarled, dragging him from the house. "Get home! Go!" She disapparated, and the brothers followed her.

Rodolphus followed Bellatrix down the hall to their room, the two quickly dressing for bed. He crawled into bed, waiting for Bellatrix to come back from the bathroom before he turned out the lights. She slipped beneath the blankets, scooting over into his arms as she'd been doing the past few nights. "Rod," she whispered, her eyes closed.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Yes, Bella?"

She drew a soft breath, then pressed her face into the front of his nightshirt. "I didn't know they had a child," she muttered, cringing slightly.

Rodolphus was astonished at her words, but merely held her closer, rubbing his hand along her back as she'd recently told him she liked. He would never understand the witch he'd chosen to be his wife.


	25. Chapter 25: Azkaban

**This was a very fast write, only about three hours to do. It is one of my favourite chapters in this story, so enjoy!**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Rodolphus' eyes flew open and he sat up in alarm as the wards crumbled over their home. "Bellatrix!" he shouted, but she was already up.

"The Ministry," she hissed. "Death to them."

"Bella," Rodolphus stared at the fire in her eyes. "Bella, we'll be captured—they know, don't they?"

"Yes," Bellatrix nodded simply.

Rodolphus slipped a decent robe on, then helped Bellatrix fasten her robe carefully. He sighed, then embraced her tightly and kissed her lips. "I love you," he murmured. "I'm sorry."

Bellatrix didn't reply, but allowed the embrace before turning back toward the door. They could hear footsteps, and she hissed, "Let's go meet them."

They burst out of their room together, immediately taking on the Aurors that were storming their home. Rabastan joined them, hearing his brother shout in French. Their father was behind the Aurors, demanding to know what was going on, and their mother wasn't anywhere to be seen.

As Rodolphus and his brother fell to the Aurors, gasping painfully under the spells they'd been hit with, he saw Bellatrix screaming in fury as she fiercely took on their enemies. "Bella," he breathed, seeing her hit with three different spells at the same time. She fell, her eyes closed, and he called out her name in horror, crying out against what was happening to them.

Rodolphus couldn't help but see his brother, very pale as he was dragged first from the corridor, the Aurors leading them forward. Bellatrix was being dragged before him, and he was furious that they would do such a thing to her: she was a pureblood witch and should have been treated with respect.

They forced him to walk toward the gates, and he saw his father's stunned and crushed expression. His mother... _dear Merlin_...his mother stood behind the boys' father, looking horrified.

"Mother, I'm sorry," he tried to call out to her, but one of the Aurors cursed him and he cut off sharply. Rodolphus numbly marched after his wife and brother, unable to speak or think properly.

It wasn't until Rodolphus was locked in a cell in Azkaban to await their trial that he realised the implications of what had happened. He was going to be locked up for life; in a single moment, the House of Lestrange no longer existed. Horror filled him, especially when he thought of his brother. He had led his brother to share his and Bella's fate.

Rodolphus wasn't sure how long it was before he met the Dementors, but he hated it. He bit his lip to keep from crying out in horror as his mind recalled every last torture the Dark Lord had done to him, and every cruel word Bellatrix had ever spoken to him. He gasped for breath, leaning against the wall of his cell with his eyes closed. He could not survive spending eternity in this place: he could not.

He didn't know when the guards came for him, dragging him from the prison back to the Ministry for his trial. He saw Bellatrix and Rabastan already together, waiting to be led into the courtroom. "Bella," he breathed, almost unwilling to believe his eyes. "Rab?"

Rabastan looked up at his brother, his eyes haunted. "Rod, how will we survive?"

Rodolphus was staring at his wife, seeing her vacant expression and limp arms. "Bella?" he whispered. "Bella. Bellatrix, please look at me."

The black-haired witch turned to look at him silently. Rodolphus' heart broke. "Bella, I love you," he choked, and Rabastan glared at him.

"Pull yourself together, idiot," he growled at his older brother.

Bellatrix shifted herself closer to her husband and leaned her head against his shoulder for a moment, closing her eyes. Rodolphus took a deep breath, leaning his head against hers. He didn't want to leave her to the Dementors: he didn't want to go to them himself. He couldn't imagine what they would do to her—remind her of the endless abuse of her father, her husband, and her Dark Lord, no doubt. He wished he could protect her from their fate, but he was powerless to stop it.

The door opened once more, and a young boy was led into the room, white as a sheet. "Junior!" Rab said. "Decided to join us?"

"No!" he gasped in terror. "Surely my father will spare me—he wouldn't want his only heir to—" the boy shuddered, and Rodolphus felt slightly sorry for him.

"I doubt he'll be any happier about you than about us," Rabastan said callously. "It's not as if we're not all Death Eaters, and you were there with us."

"But I'm not guilty!" Junior cried, looking around wildly.

Rodolphus turned away from the boy. It wouldn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

Moments later, the four were dragged into the room and chained into their chairs before the Wizengamot. Rodolphus only recalled the trial as a blur, the whole proceeding seeming a sham. He and his wife and brother had been condemned even before the trial had begun: he knew that without a doubt. Despite the pleading of their young accomplice, the four were sentenced to life— _Life? Shouldn't that be death?_ —life in Azkaban.

The young Crouch was dragged screaming from the room, but Bellatrix stood, facing Crouch Sr. with her eyes blazing in fury. She called out defiantly, her voice strong: "The Dark Lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban; we will wait! He will rise again and will come for us. He will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful! We alone tried to find him!"

Rodolphus glanced to Rabastan, who was being led from the room. His brother knew what he was trying to communicate: they would live to return to their work as Death Eaters. Rodolphus was glad that Bellatrix was so inspiring to them: he very much needed it at the moment.

He saw the Dementors take Bellatrix from the Aurors, who were quickly backing away from them. His wife—his beautiful Bellatrix—sagged against her captors, and Rodolphus cried out her name. Rabastan drew a sharp breath, the Dementors taking him and Junior first.

Bellatrix was on the floor, crying out, and Rodolphus struggled against his guards to go to her, but with their icy cold breaths, he shuddered, helpless to protect himself or his wife. "Bella," he cried out, but she didn't respond as her own guards dragged her away.

Rodolphus curled up on the floor of his cell, his brand new Azkaban numbers making his shoulder ache. "Bella," he groaned softly, "what will I do?" Just as he knew, there was no answer for him. And there wouldn't be, for a very long time.

* * *

Weeks, maybe even months later, Rodolphus sat up when he heard a guard come to the door of his cell. In his surprise to see another human clearly, he got too close and was Cursed by the man. He gave a hiss of pain, falling backward onto the floor, and the man chained him to the wall.

"You have a visitor," said the Auror emotionlessly. "Be a good boy, now."

"Who…?" Rodolphus' voice trailed off as he looked up at the woman staring down at him, her eyes full of tears. "It can't be," he muttered to himself.

"Rodolphus," came his mother's voice, and moments later, she was kneeling beside him, her arms around him. "My son." She began to sob, and he struggled to understand that she was there with him.

"Mum?" he whispered. "You shouldn't be here...it's a horrible place."

Meira Lestrange sobbed more deeply, pulling her oldest son into her arms and ignoring his chains. "Rodolphus," she wept, her tears raining into his dark hair, "why couldn't you have been more careful? I didn't want this for you."

Rodolphus struggled to sit up, slipping one arm around the thin woman. "Mum, it's Bella—I did it for her."

The woman choked, "Of course you did. I know you love her, but you didn't have to get yourself locked away—Rodolphus, both my sons are in prison, and your father—he's very angry."

"Of course he is!" Rodolphus said, suddenly angry as well. "He knew this was a possibility, but it was _my_ choice, and Rabastan's choice as well! We chose this life, Mother...not to be in prison, but to serve the Dark Lord, whatever it meant for us!"

"And your family?" Meira whispered. "Rodolphus, your father has not told you, but he is very ill. He will not live more than three years more. With you and your brother gone—" the witch shook with a sob "—there will be none to continue the House of Lestrange. It dies with you."

"Mum," Rodolphus began, then stopped as the woman shook uncontrollably, clinging to him as she wept bitterly. "Mother, I've done my best. You have no idea—I'm sorry. I did everything I could to produce an heir. I don't think Bellatrix can have children."

Meira looked at him through her tear-filled eyes. "She told me she could. She came to me and we talked about such things several weeks ago. She wanted to make sure she was doing the right things…."

Rodolphus sighed. "She just wanted to make sure she _didn't_ give me a child," he told his mother. "She's done her best, believe me."

"Oh, Rodolphus!" Meira wept, hugging him close. "I can't believe what's happening to you, to our family! This isn't real!"

"Oh, it is," Rodolphus said, then swallowed hard, looking toward the cell door. "It's real, Mother. You should go before the Dementors come back."

"They shouldn't until I'm gone, and I'm going to see your brother," Meira sniffed. "Oh, I love you so much, Rodolphus!"

Rodolphus' grip tightened on his mother. "Are you going to see Bella?" he breathed. "Mum, please tell her that I love her. Please."

The witch looked down at him in concern, then nodded, wiping her tears away the best she could as more tears trickled down her face. "I love you," she whispered. "Stay strong, my son. Wait for the Dark Lord: I believe that's what Bellatrix wants you to do."

The man nodded, then squeezed his mother tightly. "I will," he promised. "Now go. Go to them. Tell them we will wait."

Meira gave him a tearful smile, then kissed his head and rose from his side. "Guard!" she called, and the man appeared, letting her out of the cell.

When she was outside the cell and the door was shut, Rodolphus was released from his chains, rushing to the door. His mother was already out of sight, on her way to Rabastan and Bellatrix. Rodolphus clutched his cell bars angrily. "We will wait!" he shouted in fury. "We will wait!"


	26. Chapter 26

Rodolphus could feel his mind declining, could feel his himself slipping away as the days turned to months and into years. He was daily tortured with terrifying images of Bellatrix, his master, his father, and even his own brother. The foul creatures of the prison had soon figured out his worst fears and thoughts and replayed them over and over in his mind.

The man writhed on the floor, reliving a session of torture that Bellatrix had put him through. She was glaring down at him in absolute rage, allowing her Curse to have its full effect. He shuddered at the memory, stifling a cry. She'd almost killed him that day. "Bella!" he cried out in terror, a sob escaping him. "Please!"

The memory changed, and Rodolphus cried out again at the emotional difference in the two scenes. Bellatrix lay beneath him on their bed, smirking up at him as he made love to her. She reached for him, kissing him and tugging at his hair, whispering, "You know I hate you, Master Lestrange. I would not be here if father hadn't forced me to marry. I will never give you children: your line dies with me—"

He'd slapped her, and she smiled, pressing her lips to his cheek. "You're fun to hate," she whispered as he allowed a _Crucio_ to surge through her. She writhed beneath him on the bed and he laughed bitterly at the memory.

Yes, Bellatrix hated him: she'd made that the most obvious thing in the world. Rodolphus wrapped his arms around his knees, curled up in the darkest corner of his cell as several tears ran down his face. Angrily, he dashed them away, berating himself for being so weak. He was shaking all over, struggling to hold himself together.

The Dementors left the door of his cell when they'd finished feasting on him for the day: Rodolphus had survived another day—or night, he didn't know anymore—in Azkaban.

* * *

Rodolphus suffered through his own memories so much that he no longer cried out under the pain. He didn't feel the agony anymore, for the Dementors had made him numb to such emotions. He felt empty, almost as if he had no soul.

Whenever there was a prison inspection, he stood silently, staring out of his cell and watching. They had no business walking around free when he was locked up. When the Dark Lord returned for him and Bellatrix and Rabastan, they would pay. Rodolphus would make them suffer more than he had.

He was jeered at quite often during the inspections, as he knew he was an infamous prisoner. He didn't shout back, or scream as some of other prisoners did, though. Rodolphus merely looked at them with his dark eyes, planning their torturous deaths.

One day during an inspection, he was infuriated to see MadEye Moody there, touring the prison. The now-retired Auror had been one of several that had captured the Lestranges at their home. He went straight to the door of his cell, glaring out through the bars—and his heart nearly stopped. "Bella?"

The black-haired witch looked at him, gasping slightly. No, she wasn't Bella. But who was she? His eyes narrowed. How dare she look so much like Bella and not _be_ her!

"Who are you?" he said hoarsely.

"I—I'm Andromeda's daughter," she said haltingly, and he understood. The bitch was the daughter of Bellatrix's disowned sister.

"Come along, Nymphadora," MadEye told her gruffly.

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" she hissed, glancing back at the man in the cell once more before hurrying after her mentor.

Rodolphus retreated to the corner of the cell, suddenly missing Bellatrix more than he had in years. The Mark was more visible on his arm, and it had been tingling with magic recently as well. All of the Death Eaters should have felt it.

Far off in the prisoner, a scream of "We will wait!" started a chain reaction of cries. Rodolphus clenched his fists that should have been crackling with fierce magic. "We will wait!" he hissed through his teeth. It was time for a change in lifestyle—it was time for the Dark Lord to return.


	27. Chapter 27

**Long awaited escape! :D Enjoy!**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Rodolphus was more aware than he had been in weeks, feeling more alive than he had for some time. He wasn't the only one that had screamed out in anguish when his mark had burned nearly a year before: it was torture to be held in the prison when the Dark Lord had returned. It was more than time for them to be released to their master: they had waited and they were ready.

Today was different: the Dementors hadn't come on their rounds, and everyone knew something had changed. They could hear explosions, and dueling, and shouting from other prisoners. Rodolphus clutched the bars of his cell, watching as his heart shouted with the others.

There were humans—living, breathing people—walking down his cell row. Rodolphus stepped back from the door in case they had Dementors with them, but as the group drew closer, he saw hooded and masked individuals. He couldn't believe what was happening, even though he had waited fourteen years for it. Looking through the group, he saw Avery, Malfoy, and several others that had gone free—Rodolphus' fists clenched in anger, and some of the group moved away from his cell nervously.

The door to his cell was open, and Lucius looked him in the eye. "Joining us again, Rodolphus?"

"Decided to claim our cause again, Malfoy?" Rodolphus rasped hoarsely, and heard two or three of the other prisoners laugh. He laughed with them madly, the group moving on down the corridor. Rodolphus was too weak to move quickly, and was quickly grabbed by another Death Eater.

"Take him back to the Mansion," Lucius commanded, then turned as another party hurried up to them.

"Lucius, Bellatrix is in the last cell of the South Tower—we can't get her out," gasped the man. "The wards—they're too powerful."

"Avery, get up there and bring her out," Lucius commanded him.

Rodolphus looked up. "The magic in the triangles has to align, and the numbers...the keys have to be the right colour..."

Everyone except Avery looked at him as if he was mad, and Avery walked off. "Let's go," he said to the Death Eater that had come down from the South Tower.

Rodolphus' escort shook his head slightly and disapparated with the man. Rodolphus fell to the ground on appearance, and someone said, "Rod? You look terrible..."

Rodolphus looked up to see his little brother standing before him with a mad grin on his face. "Rab?" he grinned a little. "You're alive..."

"Couldn't let the wraiths get me down," he said, then shuddered involuntarily. Rodolphus laughed, then stared over at the clock on the wall as if it was the fascinating object ever. It ticked, Rodolphus thought distantly. He'd forgotten that clocks did that...

"Ex-prisoners!" came a voice, and most of them looked up to see someone standing at the head of the room. "You will all be washed up and given fresh robes; the Dark Lord wishes to see you all one by one. Wash quickly, or you will be helped!"

Several of the prisoners laughed harshly, but Rodolphus moved mechanically to get his robes and head off to the showers. He knew Malfoy Manor: his sister-in-law lived there. Rodolphus grinned as he entered the bathrooms and turned on the hot water. Rodolphus soaked in the spray for as long as he dared, scrubbing away the grime of fourteen years in a filthy cell from his body.

When he stepped from the shower, he almost felt like a new man, but when he looked in the mirror, his eyes were still haunted, and he was still pale and thin. His hair was long and unkempt, but at least now it was clean. Rodolphus put on the clean robe, frowning at the feeling of the material against his skin. It rubbed strangely, as if the dirt had always provided a barrier between his prison robe and his skin. Rodolphus looked back up at himself in the mirror. He would take a skin rash over a cell in Azkaban any day.

As he stepped from the stall, he joined in a line to receive a haircut and submitted silently to the house-elf who had been given the job. He didn't know why it was calming to see the elf...probably because it symbolised trust and servitude in his mind. He was relieved to have short hair once again, feeling a lot more free now that his mop was gone. Glancing around, he wondered where Bellatrix was, but didn't have long to think about it. The Dark Lord was beginning to call for his faithful to come before him.

 _Rodolphus_. The man heard his master's voice in his mind before he felt his Mark burn with fervor, and was striding toward the door of the hall of Malfoy Manor before the overseer of the newly-released prisoners could call him. His eyes were flashing with power and rage as he walked through his fellow Death Eaters, disappearing into the hall.

Upon entering the hall, Rodolphus looked straight to the Dark Lord, then stumbled forward, bowing himself to the floor at his master's feet. "My Lord..." he whispered hoarsely. "My Lord, we have been faithful—Bellatrix and Rabastan and I..."

"You have not denied me," Lord Voldemort said softly, placing his hand on the ex-prisoner's shoulder. Rodolphus jumped involuntarily, and the Dark Lord smiled slightly, withdrawing his hand. "You are among the best servants that are left, Rodolphus Lestrange."

"I exist to serve you, My Lord," Rodolphus breathed. His mind was screaming out that he wanted to see Bella, wanted to know that she was alive and well, but in the midst of his madness, he knew he should not ask just yet.

"Ah, you will see Bellatrix," Lord Voldemort told him, chuckling. "Narcissa is caring for her specially...Bellatrix seemed to have gotten a little out of hand on the way over, and she's hysterical presently...she didn't even know who I was. She will be all right, I am told, however."

Rodolphus couldn't see how Bellatrix not recognising her master was all right, but if the Dark Lord said so, it must be. "Yes, My Lord."

Voldemort laughed. "You're so much more obedient after a few years of bad dreams, Rodolphus," he told the man. "I should have thought of that years ago."

This time, Rodolphus didn't reply, sure he should have been insulted for some reason, but for the life of him, unable to figure out how or why. The Dark Lord smirked. "Get some rest, Lestrange. You have two months maximum to be up to full magical capacity and ready to serve me to the fullest."

"I will not fail you, My Lord," Rodolphus promised, looking up at the man. "We will not fail you...we were faithful."

"Yes, you were," the Dark Lord said thoughtfully. "And a reward shall be yours. Think on it while you recover and tell me what you wish."

"Thank you," Rodolphus said, finally rising from the floor. "Thank you, Master." The word felt foreign to him, but it was the least he could do for the wizard who had rescued him from hell on earth.

* * *

Nearly two weeks went by without Rodolphus seeing his wife. He usually sat and talked with Rabastan and Dolohov, learning that Junior had died in Azkaban. He wasn't angry until he learned that the boy had been given the Dementor's Kiss after the boy had singly been responsible for the return of the Dark Lord.

"Fudge must die," Rabastan said, and Rodolphus agreed. "In the worst way possible," he said.

"You two are mad," Dolohov laughed at them.

"You're no better," Rodolphus sneered. "We're all mad here."

Rabastan glanced at his brother as Dolohov's attention was taken by another Death Eater. "Rod," he muttered, "did you hear about Mother and Father?"

Rodolphus shook his head, and Rabastan said, "They're—they've dead. We're the last of the House of Lestrange."

Rodolphus stared at his little brother, stunned, then breathed, "Mother was right. Our House is going to end—there is nothing I can do about it. She was convinced that Bella had tried, but Bella did no such thing—" Rodolphus' breath caught sharply, and his brother sighed, shaking his head. "I'm going to bed," Rodolphus muttered.

"It's in the middle of the day!" Rabastan protested, then shut up immediately at the look on his brother's face.

"I'm tired and I'm going to sleep," Rodolphus hissed. "Goodbye!" He got to his feet and left the room quickly, going to his room. To his absolute shock, when he got to his room, he found Bellatrix sitting on the bed, Narcissa at her side, holding her hand and stroking her hair.

"You can do it, Bella," Narcissa was saying softly. "The Dark Lord—"

Both witches turned to the door, Bellatrix giving a cry of terror before she saw the man there. "It's Rodolphus, your husband," Narcissa told her gently, pulling her hair back from her face and tying it with a ribbon. "He—"

Bellatrix looked straight into his eyes, and he into hers, but he could have sworn that neither of them saw anything. "I know him," Bellatrix volunteered. "Thank you, Cissy."

Narcissa left after glancing between the two of them nervously. Bellatrix watched him come closer to the bed, then said, "I have many things to say to you, but I think most of them come from the Dementors."

Rodolphus nodded mutely, sitting down on the other side of the bed before curling up to sleep. Bellatrix stared down at him, wondering if Azkaban had made him more easy to live with, or if he was just confused about who she was. Rodolphus fell asleep before very long and dreamed about his first few years of marriage with Bellatrix, crying out softly as he remembered the twists to his dreams that the Dementors had invented.

Someone slapped him, and he heard Bellatrix screech, "If you kick me again, I swear to Salazar I will bloody murder you and the House of Lestrange really _will_ end!"

Rodolphus gasped, cold sweat running off him as he struggled to control his breathing and stop his racing heart. "Bella," he breathed. She really was back.


	28. Chapter 28: Disobedience

Rodolphus sighed as he returned to his room: it had been a month since their escape, and he was beginning to feel stronger in body, though his magic had never weakened. He hadn't been able to keep from noticing that Bellatrix wasn't so frail-looking anymore, either, but hardly dared to speak to her.

Bellatrix always looked at him as if she expected him to attack her, and it annoyed him. She was the one who had made _his_ life difficult; it was Bellatrix who had refused her pureblood duty to him. She _deserved_ to suffer...didn't she?

He'd left her alone for several weeks, watching her to see how their imprisonment had effected her, but he knew now. Bellatrix was the same, though far more insane and jumpy. Rodolphus knew that she would be far more hateful toward him, but he was ready for her: he had changed too.

He entered the room and found his wife curled up on the bed, her arms wrapped around herself, crying. "Bellatrix?" he said, frowning as he hurried to her side. "What's wrong?"

"Leave me alone!" she hissed, glaring at him through her tears and turned away from him, still crying softly.

"I asked you what was wrong!" he snapped, grabbing her and forcing her to face him.

"If you must know," she shrieked at him, "the Dark Lord is angry with me!"

Rodolphus smirked down at her. "What else is new, Bella, darling?"

Bellatrix screamed out in fury. "It's all your fault, too!" she yelled as he kept her from using magic against him.

"How is that?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow. "And if you're in trouble, why haven't you been tortured?"

"I—we—" Bellatrix trembled in rage as she looked into the eyes of the man she had married. "I was told never to have children: I had thought it was so that I would never be unable to fight for the cause, but—" Bellatrix clenched her fists tightly and Rodolphus saw the agony in her eyes "I thought wrong. I don't know why it was…."

"Bella…?" Rodolphus whispered in confusion. "Are you…?"

"No!" she hissed. "I was pregnant when I went to Azkaban! I thought that with the Dark Lord gone, it was possible for me to do what I needed and be ready for him when he returned. I was wrong."

Rodolphus stepped back from his wife in shock. "You...what?"

Bellatrix glared up at him. "You heard me, Lestrange!"

"Where is the child?" he breathed. "Our child…."

"Dead," Bellatrix said coldly. "Miscarriage in Azkaban. It couldn't survive the harsh climate—"

Pain washed over Rodolphus. "Bella," he whispered in disbelief. "Bella, no…."

Bellatrix nodded, her eyes glistening with angry, unshed tears. "The child is dead—buried out on the Island. But no matter. The Dark Lord was far more understanding than I deserve…the child's death must have been the reason…."

Rodolphus stared at the witch, horrified. "But Bellatrix—"

"Our baby died!" she shrieked at him, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Died, Rodolphus. There is nothing to be done."

"Nothing?" Rodolphus said, his voice resonating in the silence as Bellatrix rocked back and forth hysterically.

"If you think I will disappoint the Dark Lord again, you are more of an idiot than I ever thought!" Bellatrix screeched at him. "No. No, I will not allow that to happen again!"

Rodolphus reached out, catching hold of her again, and she shook in his arms, her entire body tense. "Bellatrix, I can't believe we actually—you—Bella, if the Dark Lord didn't hurt you for that—"

Bellatrix screwed her eyes shut. "No," she breathed. "No. It was a blessing the child died. The Dark Lord was angry enough as it was—"

"How dare you?!" Rodolphus shouted at her, and she sobbed outright, staring up at him in slight fear, though just as defiant as always.

"I dare because I am faithful!" she shrieked at him, obvious madness in her entire countenance. "It was a small price to pay in spite of my foolishness!"

Rodolphus threw her away from himself, drawing his wand. " **Crucio**!" he roared at her.

Bellatrix's shrieks filled the room, the witch hitting out in her pain as she writhed and sobbed. She wasn't fighting the spell, he realised in confusion, but the thought only angered him, and he intensified the Curse until Bellatrix was clawing at herself in agony, trying to make the pain stop. Rodolphus was so angry at the witch's defiant words that he held the spell for much longer than he usually would have, and Bellatrix's body convulsed uncontrollably, the woman screaming out in unbearable pain.

"R—Rodolphus, please!" she begged him from the floor. She had no idea how she'd got there. "Please stop!" she screamed out, her beautiful face twisted in pain, reaching out toward him pleadingly. "Please!"

"Promise," he hissed, his wand still trained on her, though he had released the Curse. "Promise that if you become with child again that you will do everything you can to bring it to life."

The witch convulsed in pain, closing her eyes tightly as she shrieked in pain from the residual magic. Rodolphus' wand tip glowed with the uncast spell. "Swear it, Bellatrix!" he shouted at her, his eyes glinting with madness.

She cried out, then sobbed, "Okay! Okay! I will—I will do it!"

Rodolphus lowered his wand after a moment, admiring his work, then stepped back from her. "Why must you learn everything the hard way?"

"That's what he said!" she shrieked in agony of mind and body. "Can't you understand why he didn't punish me now, Lestrange?!"

"Well, you were right," Rodolphus chuckled, shaking his head. "You deserve it."

The witch pressed her face into the floor, unable to stop herself from writhing or crying out in pain. "Yes," she wept. "I deserve it."

* * *

Rodolphus did not want to understand what his wife had told him, denying it to himself. But every time he saw Bellatrix, he was reminded of her defiance and how he had Cruciated her to a writhing, begging mess on the floor. He knew that it was true, and he also knew that life felt more normal when he made Bellatrix suffer. Rodolphus hadn't realised that he missed torturing his wife until that moment.

The next time he was called before the Dark Lord, Rodolphus felt more calm. He knew he was in the right place and acted just as sure as he had before Azkaban. "My Lord," he said with confidence, kneeling before looking to the man carefully. "I am prepared to return to full time service." It had been a month and a half, though Rodolphus had hardly thought any time had passed.

"Very good," the Dark Lord mused. "You will join your brother and Bellatrix on the Muggle raid tomorrow...none of you will be needing masks now, of course, unless you wish…."

"Of course not, My Lord," Rodolphus said boldly. "We are known Death Eaters; why would we hide our faces any longer?"

Rabastan grinned too. "Yeah, the masks are rather inconvenient. I'm not afraid of publicity. We could hardly be any more well known as it is."

Bellatrix cackled with laughter, and the Dark Lord smiled at her. Rodolphus couldn't help the stab of anger and jealousy he felt toward his master over Bellatrix, though none of them could help the situation. The Dark Lord motioned Bellatrix forward, and she knelt before him, bowing her head submissively. "You may leave," the Dark Lord told the Lestrange brothers.

Rodolphus and Rabastan left the room together, and Rabastan followed his brother to the garden. "Do Bellatrix and the Dark Lord have a...an infatuation with each other?"

"One does," Rodolphus said bitterly. "I don't know who, though."

"She has for years—at least, she's allowed it for year," Rabastan replied thoughtfully. "Since I was a small boy."

"She's a failure, and a pathetic excuse for a pureblood witch," Rodolphus spat.

Rabastan frowned. "What has she done now? Besides still refusing to provide you an heir?"

Rodolphus' eyes darkened. "She was pregnant, but—she told me she miscarried the baby while she was in Azkaban. She claims that it was worth not infuriating the Dark Lord—says he told her she wasn't allowed to have children. I say it's because he wants her for his own amusement, but—"

"Rod, keep your voice down?" Rabastan hissed, glancing around. "Do you want to be the Dark Lord's amusement?"

"I'm straight," Rodolphus said firmly.

"You know what I mean," Rabastan sniggered. "Besides, you don't want everyone to know that your wife sleeps with the Dark Lord."

"Shut up!" Rodolphus hissed angrily. "Shut it! I know it already; I don't need to hear you say it!"

Rabastan sighed. "I guess I should be looking for a wife?"

"I don't know," Rodolphus sighed bitterly. "I just don't know, and I don't understand Bella at all. She makes me angry and laughs while I curse her. She's just too much."

"Well, I don't understand her either, but I'm worried that she'll be all crazy on the raid tomorrow," Rabastan muttered. "It'll be her first outing since the escape—I'm not worried about you: you're acting normal."

"She'll be all right," the older wizard promised. "Just wait. She'll have _fun_ tomorrow: she'll get to go out _and_ torture and kill."

Rabastan laughed in anticipation. "She will," he said. "We'll just have to make sure she doesn't get herself captured again."

Rodolphus shook his head slightly. His brother was right, of course. He would have to make sure nothing happened to Bella, because the witch didn't seem to have remembered how to be careful about anything at all.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed! I was half asleep when I wrote the last part, so sorry for anything that didn't make sense!**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**


	29. Chapter 29

"They will be joining us presently." The Dark Lord told them of two of their fellow Death Eaters. "They are bringing us one of the Order…."

The Death Eaters smirked at each other, some of them laughing in anticipation. Rodolphus looked around, but no one seemed to know who Dolohov and Crabbe had been sent after.

Chimes sounded from the entrance hall, the gates being opened a moment later. Seconds later, the door to the dining hall opened and someone walked into the room quickly, though hesitantly, a Death Eater's wand in her back. The men immediately began to hiss at her, leering at the young witch, but Rodolphus frowned. He was sure that was Nymphadora, his niece—and as Bellatrix turned from her Dark Lord to the girl and began to cackle with laughter, he knew he was right.

"What is this?" the Dark Lord mused, seeming almost amused. "A relation of yours, Bella? Narcissa?"

Bellatrix opened her mouth furiously, her eyes burning madly as her magic crackled, and Rodolphus sighed, wishing he was beside her to keep her calm. Not that he was able to do that much anymore. "Never, my Lord!" she hissed. "She is no relation to Cissy and me!"

Lord Voldemort looked to the young captive, and the girl drew a deep breath, suddenly turning to Narcissa. "I'm not here of my own will and I apologize for my intrusion." She smirked at the Dark Lord. "No relation."

 _What?_ Rodolphus was shocked. _She didn't just...apologize to the Malfoys for being here? Why would she want to do that?_ He watched the beautiful young witch, wondering if her fear had turned to defiance. She was right to be afraid, but defiance was the wrong act—at least, outright defiance.

Nymphadora, as he vaguely remembered her name was, stood there, her white and red hair suddenly black with red ends. He didn't doubt that she was the defiant sort, but almost hoped that she would be given the chance to join up. Rodolphus could see the girl being an excellent Death Eater—if Bellatrix let her live long enough.

"You were not alone," the Dark Lord said to Nymphadora's captor.

"She...did something to him," the man said uncomfortably.

To Rodolphus' surprise, the witch started giggling, and Rabastan glanced sideways at his brother. Rodolphus smirked slightly, knowing just what his brother was thinking: _She's like Bellatrix._

As Nymphadora strode down past the Death Eaters seated at the table, Rodolphus couldn't help agreeing. The witch was powerful: he could feel it, and he wondered if she knew just how gifted she was. Rodolphus was suddenly very curious about the girl, wondering what it would be like to feel her magic, to feel her sharing a spell with him and Bellatrix, to feel her passion for the Dark burn through his Mark as the sign of the Dark Lord lit up the night sky. He willed for her to join the Dark: he wanted it, possibly more than he'd wanted most things recently.

"Unless he got help," Nymphadora smirked, pride on her features as she thought of what she had done, "Dolohov is lying out on the walk caterwauling because I put the Curse of the Bogeys on him. So he's here, just not with us."

"Her wand?"

"Yes—" began the Death Eater, but Nymphadora rolled her eyes at the man.

"No," she said, glaring at him, "Dolohov has my wand. He snitched it off you before he disapparated, so it's out on the walk somewhere."

Lord Voldemort chuckled, then said, "Bellatrix...take her to the dungeons—Selwyn, fetch Dolohov and make sure to bring us Nymphadora's wand."

Bellatrix immediately leaped to her feet and yanked the red- and black-haired girl to her feet. As Nymphadora was hurried from the room, she looked back at them all, and Rodolphus sensed her fear and worry, but also her curiousity and desire to prove herself.

Her eyes met his for a moment, but she did not know him, Rodolphus' expression not changing. Bellatrix jabbed her wand into the girl's side, and Nymphadora turned away from the others, hurrying away before she could be dragged.

Rodolphus stared down at the table as Selwyn returned with Dolohov, the older wizard reporting on Nymphadora. "Wandless curse," the man rasped, his eyes haunted from the horrors of the curse. "Best be cautious of her."

 _Of course_ , Rodolphus thought to himself. _She's only Bella's niece and Andromeda's daughter_. He listened idly, barely registering when Bellatrix returned and stood in the doorway.

After they were dismissed, Rodolphus went straight toward his room, but Rabastan followed him. "What?" Rodolphus said in annoyance.

"The girl," Rabastan muttered in French, "she is—she is much like Bella! Could you have not noticed?"

"It means nothing to me," Rodolphus said indifferently. "She is a prisoner, the enemy, and the half-blood daughter of a blood-traitor Black."

"But we could play with her!" Rabastan suggested, a broad grin spreading across his face. "When she's warded in and all—we're allowed to take our pleasure with them! Rod—"

"Well, do with her what you will," Rodolphus said, a shrug in his voice. "But if she really is like Bella, especially the way _you_ want her, then you would be wise to stay away from her."

"You're so selfish," Rabastan sighed. "And a terrible manager of women."

Rodolphus smirked at the younger wizard. "By all means, do with Nymphadora as you please, though you will remember that she is not to be tortured."

Rabastan nodded. "I can convince her." And he was off in the direction of his room.

* * *

Later that evening, Rodolphus found himself wondering if his brother really would try to harm the girl in the dungeon, and finally threw his blankets from him, rising from his bed and dressing. He silently left the room and hurried down the corridors to the dungeon.

Rodolphus found Nymphadora lying, still unconscious, on the floor of a small cell. "Nymphadora," he murmured, her name sounding beautiful to his ears. He watched her breathe softly for a few moments before carefully letting himself into her cell.

After watching her a moment longer, he stepped closer, then knelt at her side in the dim light of his wand. Brushing her black hair out of her face, he realised that her face was still stained with her blood, and that there was blood in her hair. Rodolphus sighed, lighting two nearby lanterns as he set to work cleaning up the blood and siphoning the dried blood from the girl's face.

Rodolphus sat back, watching the girl rest, then reached out, stroking her hair gently. _She looks like a twenty-one year old Bellatrix_ , he thought to himself, aching in his heart. _Nymphadora Tonks_.

The girl stirred slightly, and Rodolphus reassured her with a steady hand, the girl settling back into sleep easily. "You're so good at that," hissed a voice, and Rodolphus looked up to see Rabastan standing outside the cell. "Come to share in the fun?"

The man didn't reply for a moment, then smirked and nodded. It wasn't until Rabastan had entered the cell that Rodolphus hit him with a Stunning Spell, then summoned a house-elf. "Take him to his room," Rodolphus said. "Allow him to sleep until morning."

The house-elf took Rabastan away immediately, and Rodolphus sighed in relief, looking back to the unconscious witch. "No one will hurt you," he murmured to the girl who looked so much like his own wife. "Not unless you choose the pain, Dora. Please: don't choose it." He leaned down and kissed her forehead, immediately feeling guilt sweep over him.

The instant he reached the entrance to the dungeons, he was slammed against the wall, facing a very angry-looking Bellatrix. "What the hell were you doing with her?!" she demanded.

"Rabastan—" Rodolphus breathed. "He was going to harm her! I couldn't let him—she's so much like you!"

"How dare you?" Bella snarled at him, and he felt a _Crucio_ surge through his bones.

"Bella," he moaned, sliding down the wall as he clung onto her. "Bella, I mean in all good ways, obviously."

Bellatrix lifted his face and looked straight into his eyes, Rodolphus feeling her questions in his mind. "Bella," he groaned as he felt her searching through his thoughts, though he didn't try to stop her.

She finally stopped, half pushing him away before she spat, "Weakling."

"You are my weakness, Bellatrix Black," he said with a sigh.

"She is not me!" Bellatrix half-screamed at him before he motioned her to be quiet.

"She could be," Rodolphus replied simply. "She has potential, Bella; you cannot deny it."

Bellatrix glared at him. "So she does. What of it? She will never be as powerful as I, or even as her filthy blood-traitor mother! I _will_ have my chance to torture her, and you will not stop me, Rodolphus Lestrange!"

Rodolphus nodded, his heart pounding fiercely in his chest. "Never, Bella. I would not try to stand between you and a victim."

"Are you sure you didn't share Rabastan's idea?" Bellatrix glared at him, her wand burning into his side.

"Bella," he gasped, feeling pain creep into his ribs, "you've seen my thoughts. You know me. I only want you. Nymphadora means nothing—a worthless half-blood dedicated to the Light. I merely did not want her ruined by my brother's fantasies."

"You remain faithful?"

"Always, Bella," Rodolphus breathed, closing his eyes as he kissed her firmly, the two falling back against the wall. She slid onto his lap, fisting his hair as she pulled him closer, and Rodolphus moaned softly against her mouth. "I want you," he whispered, and she kissed him in reply, guiding his hand to the hem of her dress.

Bellatrix allowed him to make love to her there on the floor before the dungeon entrance, and Rodolphus was thrilled that she had given him permission so easily. He held her close afterward for as long as she stayed, until she said, "Let's sleep. We'll deal with the prisoner in the morning."

Rodolphus obeyed, following her immediately, and he forgot about Nymphadora as he fell asleep with Bellatrix in his arms.

* * *

The next morning, Bellatrix shook him awake gently, dodging an angry curse from the man as he sat up. "Bella!" he sputtered. "What is wrong with you?"

Bella merely looked down at him for a few seconds, then answered, "We are to take Nymphadora to the Great Hall after breakfast: we are gathering to deal with her."

"Oh." Rodolphus rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up slowly, swinging his legs off the bed.

"Mmm," Bella murmured, slipping her arms around him from behind and nuzzling his neck playfully. "You get to see what the brat will choose today...you won't be disappointed if she is killed, will you?"

"She will be one of those who serve no further purpose in the world," Rodolphus replied, shivering slightly as he felt Bellatrix's mouth twist into a smirk against his shoulder. "Bella, stop it."

She sighed, then moved to sit beside him, leaning into his side. "Andromeda should have been our fourth," she whispered to her husband. "But the brat cannot replace her. No one could. I don't want her here. She is a vile reminder of everything the blood-traitor has done to my family and me."

Rodolphus agreed, slipping his arm around Bellatrix tentatively. "Are you going to breakfast?"

Bellatrix shook her head, and Rodolphus held her for a moment before suggesting, "How about we go down to the prisoner and observe her a bit before moving her?"

To his satisfaction, Bellatrix agreed, and the two set off quickly, both darting down the hall and scaring Bella's nephew into jumping into a nearby room and slamming the door behind him. Bellatrix's laughter echoed down the hall as they continued toward the dungeon.

Finally, Rodolphus murmured, "Let's go quietly. She might be unconscious still."

"From her fall down the stairs?" Bella rolled her eyes. "I thought you healed her."

"Just removed the blood," Rodolphus retorted quickly. "I wouldn't heal her! I left it as a reminder that you're here: she'll probably have a concussion."

"Hard-headed half-blood," Bellatrix giggled before opening the door and lighting her wand to be able to see her way down the stairs. "Come on!" she hissed at her husband.

The two stood outside the girl's cell, watching for a moment until their eyes became used to the dark enough to see Nymphadora's still form on the floor. They were not there long before the prisoner stirred, groaning softly and struggling to sit up after a moment. "Oh," breathed the girl, pressing a hand to her head and side.

She waited a moment, then looked around and muttered, "How fitting. But how does one get thrown down stairs and land in a locked and warded cell?"

Without warning, Bellatrix let out a cackle of laughter, and Nymphadora jumped, shielding her eyes at the light from the witch's wand.

"Well, Nymphadora," Rodolphus said, smirking at the girl's look of shock, "Dolohov tells us you cursed him wandlessly. The Dark Lord didn't want to take any chances with you, especially with your mother's history."

"You're a high security prisoner!" Bellatrix shrieked with laughter. "How fitting!"

"Who are you?" Nymphadora asked him, and the two Death Eaters laughed.

"Oh, didn't I introduce you?" giggled Bellatrix. "How rude of me! This is my husband, Rodolphus. His brother wouldn't come down to see you, but you'll meet him soon enough. We're supposed to take you to the Dark Lord."

Rodolphus stepped closer to the girl and said, "Seems he's decided against letting Bella play with you for the time being." He shrugged, then grabbed the girl by the arm, digging his wand into her side and he forced her to stand. "She's not pleased about it, but she'll be more than happy to straighten you out if you misbehave—Nymphie."

The young witch swayed dizzily, half falling against him and grabbing at his robe to stay upright. Rodolphus pushed her off him instantly, slapping her across the face as his first reaction. It wasn't until she'd closed her eyes, bowing her head, that Rodolphus realised that the girl actually hadn't tried to attack him, and was actually hurting from whatever had already been done to her. Rodolphus squelched a feeling of guilt, Dora raising her head and glaring at Bellatrix. "Bitch!"

Rodolphus was confused. _What did Bella do?_

Bellatrix grinned at her niece. "Shall we go?" she said brightly. "Let's not keep the Dark Lord waiting!"

They marched Nymphadora from her cell, and up the stairs, heading toward the main hall of Malfoy Manor. The girl was stumbling, and couldn't seem to walk very well, the two dragging her after a few moments. Finally, the girl gave a soft gasp, and Rodolphus realised that Bellatrix had cast a spell over her.

"Bella!" he hissed, halting and pulling Nymphadora into his side so she wouldn't fall. "Reverse that spell! Do you want the Dark Lord angry with you?"

"I didn't torture her," Bellatrix complained. "It isn't fair that he changed his mind—"

"Tell _your master_ that," he snapped at her. "I doubt he'd change his mind _again_ if you disobeyed him."

"He'd punish me," Bellatrix nodded with a giggle, then scowled and hissed an incantation, Nymphadora gasping again.

Rodolphus felt the girl shudder against him slightly, and Bella grabbed the girl by the elbow, her wand in the girl's other side. "I will take care of you later," she promised her niece. "After the Dark Lord has what he wants from you."

Smirking, Rodolphus squeezed Nymphadora meaningfully. "The Dark Lord might find a new toy in this one—" He felt the girl shudder once again.

Bellatrix glared at him, hissing, "Then I will torture _you_!"

Nymphadora shook her head slightly. "You two need counseling."

The two Lestrange laughed uproariously, and Rodolphus answered, "Happy families have no need of that, Nymphie. We're perfectly happy with our lives."

They led her into the hall, straight to the Dark Lord, and Bellatrix released the girl, Rodolphus giving her a shove forward so that she fell to her knees before the Dark Lord. He and Bella returned to their place in the circle, watching Nymphadora struggle to her feet.

"What do you want from me?" she said, looking up into the face of Lord Voldemort.

"Nymphadora Tonks," the Dark Lord said thoughtfully, and Rodolphus felt Bellatrix bristle at the sound of the girl's name. "You could call me Master, as Bella does," he suggested, reaching out and touching her face gently.

"I call no man Master," she said, looking down.

Rodolphus was sure that the Dark Lord was seeing into the girl's mind, and wondered what it would be like to know how Nymphadora's life had been as a half Black. The Dark Lord withdrew his hand from the girl and asked, "No man? Not even Albus Dumbledore?"

Nymphadora laughed, surprising the Death Eaters somewhat. "I call him many things, but 'Master' isn't one of them."

"I see, my little Auror," the Dark Lord chuckled.

"I am not yours," Nymphadora told him sharply, and Bellatrix hissed in disapproval.

"But there is so much more you could be if you were," the Dark Lord mused. "You do not know the extent of yours powers, or you could have escaped the dungeons last night."

"I was unconscious all night because dear Aunt Bella cursed me down the stairs," Nymphadora replied indignantly. "And I couldn't get out of the wards anyway. Why would I try to run?"

The Dark Lord leaned closer to her and spoke softly enough so that none could hear him. Rodolphus saw Nymphadora shake her head slightly, a look of pain on her face.

A few moments later, the Dark Lord laughed coldly and said, "Do you believe your mother's choices have ruined your chance to make something of yourself? Do you feel...insufficient because of your blood, Nymphadora?"

Rodolphus saw the girl pale, and knew that the Dark Lord's words were cutting her deeply. The girl closed her eyes as Lord Voldemort continued, "Do you hate your mother for her treacherous deeds? She has caused you to be scorned your entire life, Nymphadora, and now I give you the chance to prove your power."

"I—I—" breathed Dora, and Rodolphus stared, hoping she would agree. Bellatrix stood at his side, glaring at the girl and willing the opposite. "I don't know," Dora whispered finally.

"A duel," the Dark Lord said with a cold smile. "Who shall we have Nymphadora duel?" He turned to his Death Eaters thoughtfully. Most of them were still laughing at their master's words to the girl, and Nymphadora's face was turning red in spite of her attempts to morph the colour away.

"Avery," said the Dark lord, seeming to be amused at his choice. "Why don't you and Nymphadora have a go at each other?"

Bellatrix started giggling madly, bouncing up and down on her toes in excitement as she watched the two take their places in the circle, the Dark Lord moving out of the way. "No Killing Curses," the Dark Lord said. "That will be all."

Nymphadora caught her wand as he tossed it back to her. "I don't want to."

"The choice isn't yours," smirked Marshall Avery, and Bella froze in her celebration a moment as the man added, "little bitch."

"Dammit," said Nymphadora, moving from the spot as his spells barely missed those behind her.

The two fell into dueling fairly quickly, and Rodolphus smirked to see the girl laughing at the other Death Death because he'd missed her, her hair turning black in her amusement. Rodolphus was shocked to see Nymphadora morph to Bellatrix right before his eyes before the girl darted away, losing herself from their view. It wasn't until she came back, breathless standing right next to the real Bellatrix that Rodolphus realised what Nymphadora was going to do.

"How dare you!" the second Bellatrix shrieked, throwing a curse at the real Bellatrix.

Bellatrix shrieked in surprise, jumping into the circle as her grin disappeared from her face. Avery turned his wand on her, curses flying in Bella's direction, and she shrieked in fury, returning the curses.

"Stop." The Dark Lord frowned at the two dueling Death Eaters. "Nymphadora, come here."

"Don't call me Nymphadora," pouted the second Bellatrix as she skipped over to the Dark Lord, grinning at Avery and the real Bellatrix.

"Bella, returned to the circle," the Dark Lord commanded, and turned back to the second Bellatrix. "Nice try, Nymphadora."

"Thank you," she smirked, attacking Avery immediately.

Rodolphus shook his head as he watched Nymphadora furiously battle the now-incensed Death Eater, Bellatrix shaking with rage and slight embarrassment beside him. Nymphadora was laughing like an idiot as she flitted lightly around the circle, teasing her opponent, then attacking him in all fury before laughing again.

Bellatrix drew a sharp breath, and Rodolphus stared as Nymphadora morphed to look exactly like her mother at nineteen. A soft sound came from Bellatrix, and Rodolphus could have sworn he heard her say, "Kill him, Dromeda."

Avery stared at the young version of Andromeda, then hissed, "Very funny, Nymphadora" when she started laughing maniacally.

She continued laughing, darting behind a pillar before winging a curse at him from behind. "Ha, ha, ha!" she giggled, throwing more curses at him carelessly. "Pay attention, Marshall!"

Rodolphus saw Bellatrix frowned slightly and wondered what was going on in his wife's head. No doubt it was something unusual, because he had thought she would be cheering Avery on, even though she didn't like him. The girl did not return to her normal brown-haired form until she had succeeded in cursing Avery. Rodolphus didn't recognize the spell, and wondered if the girl had even known what it was, for she was frowning at the man who lay shouting on the floor.

"How do you know that spell?" Bellatrix shrieked angrily, storming forward. Apparently she knew what it was, and it wasn't meant for Nymphie's use?

"Answer her," the Dark Lord prompted the girl.

Nymphadora rolled her eyes. "I saw Mum use it."

Realisation swept over Rodolphus as Bellatrix screamed, "That's from the Black grimoires and you should not know that, you _filthy half-blood_! Did she show you any of the other spells?"

"N—no," Nymphadora shook her head, looking shocked at Bella's reaction. "I watched her do it to Sirius when I was four, but Mum never taught me any magic of that sort."

Bellatrix was shaking with rage, glaring at the girl, and Nymphadora added, "I don't know what it did: I just did it."

The Dark Lord was laughing at her, then said to Bellatrix, "You can't deny she has potential, Bellatrix." He silenced Avery, then turned to the younger woman. "Join me, Nymphadora. Take my Mark, and I will teach you to be as effective as Bella."

Rodolphus' hopes were dashed as the young witch said, "I can't...I'm a Metamorphagus. I can't allow any major change to my magic or I will lose my powers and weaken my magic."

The Death Eaters hissed at her, jeering at her for her excuses, but the Dark Lord lifted her face with a long pointed finger. "Is that your final answer? Join me, Nymphadora."

"I cannot," she said firmly, looking straight into his red eyes. "I would rather be a filthy half-blood than a false pureblood bootlicker."

Rodolphus shouted in indignation along with the others who were now clamoring for the chance to punish the girl for her words. They would have her blood—but the Dark Lord held up his hand for silence. "Bellatrix, you will have your fun, after all." He disarmed the prisoner, pocketing her wand and smiling. " **Crucio**!"

Nymphadora clenched her fists as she gasped for breath, curling in on herself until she collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony. She didn't scream, though, and after nearly half a minute, the Dark Lord released the Curse and said carelessly, "Take her back to the dungeon, Bella, and don't be too nice."

"Thank you, My Lord!" Bellatrix said excitedly, scurrying over to Nymphadora and levitating her out of the room.

Rodolphus watched them go and sighed, knowing that the girl would always have scars from the coming torture—if she survived. When they were all dismissed, Rodolphus made his way toward his room, avoiding his brother. Rabastan seemed upset for some reason, and Rodolphus wondered if he should have finished off his brother's Stunning Spell with a memory charm...

After several minutes, Rodolphus sighed and left his room, heading to the dungeons. He prepared himself for anything, then opened the door and hurried down the steps to the sound of Nymphadora's cries of agony.

"Nymphadora needs to learn how to behave," Bellatrix hissed, pointing her wand at the girl's body lying at her feet.

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" shrieked the girl, and Bella paused.

"What would we call you then, brat?" Bellatrix said curiously. "You're not a Tonks. As if I'd ever call you that filth name anyway. You're Nymphie, sweet little Nymphie."

"I am Nymphadora Tonks," the young witch breathed in agony. "You will not take that away from me, Bellatrix."

"No?" Bellatrix dropped to her knees at the girl's side, Rodolphus staying in the shadows as he walked closer. "Well. Let me send a message to your mother. She'll know what I mean."

Nymphadora screamed as Bellatrix flipped her over onto her stomach, the woman half sitting on her as she ripped open the back of the girl's dress, drawing her knife. Rodolphus cringed as his wife began to carve words into the delicate flesh of the girl's back and shoulder—he would always hate watching it, no matter how many times he already had.

The girl's agonized screams continued, her entire body shuddering under the strain of having her flesh torn, until she passed out, going limp. "Well, I was nearly finished," she complained to her victim. Bellatrix smirked, her hair hiding her work as she continued. A few moments later, she sat back, looking at her handiwork. "It'll do," she decided, and Rodolphus saw what she had done just seconds before Bella mended the girl's robe.

Carved into the girl's back were three words: _Not Your Father_.

"What the hell does that mean?" Rodolphus said without thinking, and Bellatrix jumped in shock, turning to him.

"What does what mean?" she said in a huff. "I'm sending a message to Andromeda through her brat. But now that you're here, if you want to help me send her on her way...I don't think Nymphie likes me much."

"I'm sure you've given her good reason," Rodolphus said, looking down at the girl. Blood was seeping through the back of the girl's dress, and he was shocked to see that it spelled _Toujours Pur_.

The man didn't ask, merely saying, "What do you want me to do?"

Bellatrix sighed, brushing her hair out of her face. "Take the girl to the Entrance Hall. I will enervate her, then take her home."

Rodolphus obeyed, carefully taking the girl from the floor and levitating her up the stairs into the Entrance Hall, waiting for Bellatrix to catch up. "Are you tired from your fun?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Shut it," Bellatrix said warningly, then hissed, " **Enervate** " and took Rodolphus' place holding the girl.

"Oh!" cried the girl, gasping in pain as her senses returned to her. "Please—Bella—"

"Don't beg, Nymphie," Bellatrix said softly, her arm tightening around the girl's ribs. "I'm sending you home to Mum, just like you wanted."

Dora screamed out as her broken ribs were disturbed, Bella smirking a little. "Shh," she murmured, her cheek against Dora's. "It's okay, Nymphie."

The girl was gasping with sobs as she tried to keep from breaking down completely, and Rodolphus frowned. It was her fault for not agreeing to join the Dark Lord: the brat deserved it. The gates opened and the wards were relaxed for Bellatrix to leave with her niece, the girl sensing it as she began to cry afresh. Bellatrix turned and slipped her arm around the girl, wrenching a cry from her.

"Shh," Bella shushed her gently, her forehead against Nymphadora's. "Let's go home." She disapparated with the white-haired young witch, and Rodolphus was left standing alone in the Entrance Hall.


	30. Chapter 30: Department of Mysteries

**So...I am working on getting my stories updated, but I'm way behind on sleep xD In fact, I have no idea what sleep is. Anyway, do hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Rodolphus jumped to his feet as his Mark burned, rushing from the library of Malfoy Manor toward the meeting hall as his brother scrambled after him. He was half annoyed to be disturbed during their conversation, but would never protest out loud. When they had entered the hall, Rodolphus realised that they had a specific mission to carry out, not just a raid.

He and his brother joined Bellatrix at the front, waiting for an explanation from Lucius, who seemed to be in charge. Bellatrix listened attentively, but Rodolphus and his brother shared bored expressions. Why were they going to babysit kids who were supposedly on their way to sneak into the Ministry?

Rodolphus sighed and disapparated with the others, the twelve appearing in the Atrium of the Ministry. They all quickly made their way to the Department of Mysteries, cursing three or four night workers that were too curious for their own good. The Death Eaters stood in the shadows cast by the rows and rows of prophecies, silently watching and waiting for their prey to arrive.

Bellatrix shifted closer to him unknowingly, and he settled his arm around her waist, his hand resting on her hip. She shivered slightly, and he smirked, drawing her to stand in front of him as he kissed her neck, rubbing his hands over her body discretely. Rodolphus was almost disappointed when they heard the worried voices of children coming toward them.

"More than just Potter," Bella sniggered. "Some friends? Good. We'll have leverage."

"Hush," Lucius hissed to them and Bellatrix sneered at him, Rodolphus smirking as he kept his hand on his wife's waist possessively.

Rodolphus withdrew his hands from Bellatrix only when Lucius stepped out of the shadows and confronted Potter, both Lestranges believing that Lucius was an idiot not to have kept his mask on. _Though_ , Rodolphus thought to himself with a nod, _if you can't tell who Lucius Malfoy is, even behind his Death Eater mask, you aren't worth your magic_.

He watched in fascination as Lucius and Bellatrix argued in front of the rebel children over the Dark Lord's instructions. With a sigh, he vanished the two prophecies Bellatrix and Lucius had broken, then turned back to the others. Potter was glaring at them all in defiance, seeming worried, though angry as well.

"Now!" the boy shouted, and Bellatrix jumped in surprise, Potter and his friends all sending spells at the rows of prophecies. " **Reducto**!"

The Death Eaters jumped out of the way of the shelves, though one of them was too late, and the six children took off running away from them all. Lucius immediately issued orders, and the Death Eaters ran after the children, flinging Stunning Spells and Impediment Jinxes after them.

Rodolphus grinned as one of the girls tripped on one of his spells, slowing the girls and the Weasley boy down. Bellatrix cackled with laughter, flinging her own spells at them, the boy firing back at them and making Bellatrix giggle still more.

Shaking his head slightly, Rodolphus thought that if he were being chased down a dark Ministry corridor by Bellatrix in the middle of the night, he would just run for his life and not attempt to fight back. Any sensible person would run for the hills when faced with Bellatrix, but not these school children. _Gryffindors of the worst sort,_ Rodolphus sighed before laughing as his spell knocked the red-haired girl down.

"Ginny!" cried the other girl, hurrying back to help her up, the boy covering the two with other spells though Rod and Bella were drawing closer to them.

"Come on!" shouted the boy to the girls.

The girls sprinted after him, Bellatrix's hand barely missing the back of the red-haired girl's robe. They cornered the three against a door that the boy could not seem to open. "Got you now!" Bellatrix giggled in delight. "You heard we're allowed to kill _you_ : you're not Potter."

Rodolphus grinned too, his wand pointed at the blonde girl. "You can't imagine how slowly, how painfully a human can die, until you've seen it," he said softly. "Or experienced it."

The redheads glared at him. "Leave her alone!" they shouted together, stepping in front of the blonde girl as one.

"You can't save each other, dearies," Bellatrix cooed. "I don't allow heroics."

"You have no say in our decisions!" the boy yelled at her, narrowly missing one of the witch's curses.

She laughed at him. "It is only a matter of time before you fall," Bella hissed. "You have been lucky, but even Gryffindor luck runs out—Weasley."

The red-haired girl shrieked in anger as Bellatrix's spell struck the Weasley boy full in the head. "Far be it from me to say 'I told you so,'" Bellatrix shrugged, looking at the boy, who had fallen back against the wall, "but _I told you so_."

The girl attacked Bellatrix, Rodolphus sighing as he watched them, lazily sending spells at the blonde girl. Finally, the girl turned and said, "Come on, Ginny! I've got the door open!"

Ginny moved closer to the door, dodging Bellatrix's spells as she barely attempted to fight her anymore. She backed through the door, Bellatrix advancing on her. "What is your name, brat?" she demanded of the girl.

"I am Ginevra Weasley," the girl said defiantly.

"Ah, I knew there was a reason for the smidge of pureblood style," Bellatrix smirked at the girl as she cross the threshold of the room. "More than your brother, that's certain. So tell me: what number are you?"

"Ginny, come on!" shouted the blonde girl, grabbing her friend's arm, the two running from the Death Eaters.

Rodolphus looked around in disbelief as the door shut behind them, the room becoming pitch black as stars and planets lit up around them. "Bellatrix?" he said in confusion, and the room completely changed, focusing on a single star as a voice began to talk about magnitude and other astronomy rubbish. "Not _that_ Bellatrix!" he hissed.

As they got used to the darkness, he spotted his wife standing a few feet away from him and saw the two children tiptoeing toward a door on the other side of the room. He slipped silently across the room, grasping the Weasley girl by her shoulder. The girl shrieked, immediately struggling against his grip, but he laughed, pulling her toward him as he dug his wand into her ribs.

She was writhing against him, and Rodolphus knew that if Rabastan had been there, he would have made some jealous comment. The girl was panting when he released the Curse, and Bellatrix turned to the blonde witch with a wicked cackle. "Your turn."

"No!" yelled the girl, flinging a spell in Rodolphus' and Ginny's direction.

"Ow!" Rodolphus howled as something exploded over his head, pelting his face with sharp objects. He threw the Weasley girl to the floor, Ginny letting out a scream as Rodolphus accidentally stepped on her.

The lights returned to the room, Luna rushing to Ginny's side and dragging her to her feet, helping her from the room. Rodolphus was kneeling on the floor, his eyes closed as he touched his face, feeling torn and bleeding flesh. "Rodolphus," sighed, Bellatrix's voice close by, the woman touching his arm before pointing her wand at his face and beginning to try to heal him, "why do you and your brother have a history of freak injuries?"

Rodolphus could barely open his eyes, but looked back at his wife all the same. "We're Death Eaters," he muttered. "Things happen."

"Oh, Rod," she giggled, leaning forward and kissing him.

He drew back with a hiss of pain. "Bella, that hurts," he said, closing his eyes again.

Bella smiled. "Well, then don't think about it," she whispered, finishing her healing spells. She frowned at her handiwork, then shrugged. "It'll do. Let's find the others. We need to regroup and hunt the children together. We shouldn't have split up."

"Let's go then," Rodolphus sighed, reaching up and touching his face again. He was sure that unless Bellatrix was half the healer that she was the warrior, he would look like someone had sown his face back together.

They rejoined the other Death Eaters, finding them in the hall of prophecy, and Bellatrix glanced down at Nott, the one who'd been injured by the fallen shelves. "Not a one of you know healing spells?"

They all looked at each other uncomfortably, and Bellatrix glared at them, Rodolphus stepping forward and sealing the man's cuts, healing the bruises. "Very minor injuries," Rodolphus said to the others, getting to his feet and enervating Nott.

"What happened to your face?" Rabastan said, staring at his brother.

"Jupiter blew up in my face," Rodolphus answered simply, and Rabastan looked confused and amused at the same time.

"We had the Weasley girl, and then her friend destroyed that solar system room," Bellatrix frowned. "But both Weasleys are injured."

Dolohov smirked. "The Mudblood is out of commission," he said, and the other Death Eaters nodded, knowing he meant he'd used his own personal spells on the girl.

Lucius looked around at them all. "That leaves Potter, and that other girl, and Longbottom."

"He is pitiful," Rabastan said. "Honestly. If he'd taken after his dad, he'd be powerful, and if he'd taken after his mother, he'd be hot. He is neither."

"Rabastan!" Rodolphus said in horror, Bellatrix staring at him before shaking her head.

"You say the strangest things," Bellatrix rolled her eyes at her brother-in-law.

" _Je suis Lestrange_ ," Rabastan smirked.

Most of the others looked away from the three Lestranges, and Lucius said, "Good, we are all here and ready. We will all go together to find them—"

Rodolphus was only slightly amused to find that the children had regrouped in the antechamber of the Department of Mysteries. "What do we have here?" Lucius said softly as the Death Eaters slipped to either side of the children.

"I won't let you have it!" Harry Potter darted away from his friends, rushing through one of the doors.

"Idiot boy," Lucius snarled. "Bring the others! We'll most likely need them to convince young Potter."

Rodolphus strode across the room and pulled the Weasley girl to her feet, the girl gasping as she limped along. "Something wrong, little girl?"

She glared at him, her face white from the pain. "You stepped on my foot earlier, idiot!"

"My apologies," Rodolphus chuckled as he dragged her along with him into the next room, seeing Lucius and Potter face to face in the middle of the room. Rabastan came into the room, chuckling as he held his wand to the blonde girl's neck.

"Hand me the prophecy," Lucius told Potter impatiently as the Death Eaters gathered around them, holding the boy's friends prisoner.

Ginny writhed slightly as Rodolphus allowed a Curse to trickle through his fingers, burning into her side as he laughed softly in her ear. She gritted her teeth, refusing to cry out, and he couldn't help pulling her closer, a small gasp escaping her.

They all looked up as a crack of apparition was heard, and a dark-haired man stood for a split second before stepping forward and punching Lucius Malfoy full in the face. "Stay away from MY GODSON!"

"You Sirius, bitch!?" Rabastan shouted with laughter, almost doubled over in his amusement that Sirius Black had punched Lucius Malfoy in the face.

"You mad, bro?" Sirius shouted back, whirling to attack the one who had greeted him.

Rabastan laughed in battle craze, throwing the girl aside as he attacked the man. Rodolphus threw Ginevra to the floor, the girl giving a cry of pain, but he had hurried into the fray, finding himself an Order member to duel. Over the sounds of insults and spells being thrown, he heard Bellatrix's cry of delight: "Nymphie!"

So the girl _was_ part of the Order, after all. Well, of course she had lied about her loyalties. Rodolphus lost sight of his wife and his niece's duel until he saw Nymphadora fall under three different spells before Bellatrix finally realised she'd hit the girl. _Damn_. He'd been half rooting for the girl to survive.

Rodolphus barely registered seeing Bellatrix take over Rabastan's duel with Sirius, keeping himself out of trouble as he dueled Remus Lupin. After Bellatrix had killed her cousin, laughing maniacally the whole time, she led Potter on a chase out of the room. Distracted by Bellatrix's antics, Rodolphus finally fell to the werewolf's spells.

"It's back to Azkaban for you, Lestrange," Remus told him coldly. "You, and your colleagues."

"I won't go," Rodolphus hissed, glaring at the man. "The Dark Lord is on his way and you will all be dead before anyone arrives."

"Voldemort is coming?"

"Don't say his name, idiot," Rodolphus rolled his eyes as the man tied him up. "I just said he was, didn't I?"

Remus straightened up, looking very grave. " **Expecto Patronum**. Dumbledore, the Dark Lord is on his way to the Ministry, and the Order is in bad shape. Bellatrix has got Harry."

Rodolphus fell silent. The man hadn't known that the Dark Lord was going to be there, and now Dumbledore would soon be on his way. The Weasley girl was right: he was an idiot.

He stayed silent in his bonds, others joining him in ropes and chains until the only one missing was Bellatrix. Rabastan was thrown onto the floor next to him, groaning, "Ow—I'm going to kill him. Stupid werewolf. By the way, Dumbledore and the Dark Lord are having an epic duel. Too bad we're missing it."

Rodolphus nodded, then muttered, "Okay. I'm sorry about all this."

Rabastan shrugged. "Bellatrix avoided Dumbledore and got away, though. It's okay, Rod; we'll be back."

The eleven Death Eaters helplessly waited until nine or ten Aurors burst in the door, gawking at the sight before them. "Hello," Rabastan greeted the one that approached him and Rodolphus. "Come to take me home?"

The Auror slapped him full across the face, and Rodolphus winced. Rabastan reached out, twisting the man's arm painfully before being cursed by the other Aurors. Rodolphus silenced a yell of fury as he watched his brother fall back. The older Lestrange stood when they came for him, numbly walking forward, though he knew it would only be a little while until the Dark Lord gave the word for their release.

Rodolphus drew an uneasy breath. It would be their punishment for failure: this time in Azkaban would be the worst. He was in the same boat with his brother and Avery as they crossed to the prison. Avery looked scared, and Rodolphus decidedly ignored the man, but as Rabastan revived, he grinned at the other man.

"You know all your worst fears?" Rabastan said to Marshall, and the man nodded, waiting to hear some sort of advice from the Lestrange brothers. "Don't think of them," Rabastan advised him with a nod. "They become real here."

"Ha!" said one of the Aurors they were with, and Avery looked away from them all. "You'll be happy, you two Lestranges. You get your old rooms back."

"Lovely," said Rodolphus. "I suppose I get to relive my memories of my last vacation here, too?"

"Rod," chuckled Rabastan, looking up at the prison, "those memories become reality here."

Rodolphus stared up at the prison, stumbling along as the Aurors led him back. _No!_ His mind screamed, knowing everything that he was returning to. He couldn't get away: the Dark Lord would let them rot, would let _him_ rot. One of the Dark Lord's most loyal followers.

He and Rabastan exchanged glances as their magics were once again keyed into the prison wards. A yell from Marshall made them both grin wickedly as they realised he was getting his prison numbers. "Next group has been seen!" called one of the Aurors. "Move these three along. Too bad it isn't the Kiss for you," the one hissed at the two Lestranges.

"Rodolphus, North Tower; Rabastan, West Tower," said the lead Auror. "You all know where they belong. They have nameplates. Put Avery in the South Tower. Pity Bellatrix got away: leave her cell empty. She shall have it back when we catch her."

"You will never catch her!" Rodolphus said furiously, and the Auror holding him backhanded him across the mouth, dragging him forward to the stairs. He attempted to keep up with the two Aurors, but his memories were too much, and they had to basically carry him up the stairs, dragging him down the corridor.

"Look familiar?" the one smirked, and they shoved him into the cell.

He fell to the floor without a sound, curling in on himself as he pulled his cloak around him. He heard the clanging of the cell door and felt the special locks and wards, but didn't move until the Aurors' footsteps had died away.

Rodolphus looked up, gasping for breath as he heard screams a distance away. The second group of Death Eaters had arrived.


	31. Chapter 31: Depravity

**This was an interesting chapter to write, with Rodolphus a little more mad, ahahaha I found myself very amused at work today as I thought of how depraved I have written him in this chapter. :D**

 **Hope you enjoy this update!**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Rodolphus lay shivering on the floor of his cell, unable to get up. He could feel himself weakening, knew that he was dying. It had been too long since he'd eaten, but eating choked him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually eaten a meal that they'd given him. Not even the thought of Bellatrix encouraged him: he wanted to kill her.

Bellatrix had escaped this fate, escaped capture, but had left him to go back to hell. His heart burned with anger toward her, but it didn't help him as he lay helpless on the floor of his cell.

He could feel the Dementors gathering around him, all of them wanting to drain the last bit of emotion from him—he no longer had any happiness to be taken from him. Rodolphus was detached from it all, numb to nearly everything but the bitter cold. He felt no fear as the Dark creatures stared into his cell, waiting for him to die.

The man drew a ragged breath, coughing slightly as his thin body shook. Rodolphus felt something just beyond him and realised it was Death, coming for him. "Take me," Rodolphus whispered, stretching out his hands desperately. "Please."

He clenched his fists, reaching for his escape, and sank into the darkness, the man's body collapsing to the floor, senseless.

* * *

A soft groan escaped him as he woke with a shudder, wincing at the bright light. "Sorry," came a soft voice, making him jump, and the light dimmed.

Rodolphus opened his eyes slightly and stared at the black-haired witch sitting on his bed. It couldn't be Bellatrix. It was just another trick of the Dementors. He turned onto his side and closed his eyes, wanting to go back to sleep.

"Rod," came his wife's soft voice, "wake up. I'm not a dream, or a wraith, though I'm sure it would be more pleasing to you if I was…."

He shuddered when he felt her hand on his side, wanting whatever was happening to him to stop immediately. She rubbed his back for a moment, very carefully, and he shuddered again. "It's okay," she whispered. "You're at Malfoy Manor again. We've been worried about you...you've been unconscious for weeks. I—we thought you were going to die. Please—I know it hurts, but you've got to wake up. Come back."

Rodolphus tried to speak, but only coughed harshly, his body too weak for him to speak. The witch reached out and pulled him half onto her lap as he cried out silently, pain rushing through his mind. It didn't really hurt him, but he expected it to, and stared up at the woman, his eyes filled with terror.

"Rodolphus," she whispered, cradling him in her arms, "don't be afraid of me. It's just me—well, anyone would be afraid of me. I mean, I won't hurt you. At least, not right now. Rod, stop looking at me like that."

For Rodolphus was staring at her in fear, his eyes wide. Bellatrix sighed, looking down at him. "Fine." She reached over and took a glass from the table beside the bed. "A drink?"

The man struggled to sit up slightly, but the instant he pulled away from her, he fell to the mattress. Bellatrix sighed and drew him to lie against her, propping him up so that he could take a drink of water. He drank greedily, and she tried to slow him down a bit, but he wouldn't.

"You've been so ill," she murmured, holding him again as he closed his eyes. "It was only a year...Dumbledore is dead now, and the Order is in disarray. We've got plans to take over the Ministry soon, and I want you to be in the lead with me."

He didn't reply, and Bellatrix scowled. "Do you even understand a word I'm saying? No, of course not. Rodolphus, stop trying to sleep."

Without warning, he struck her, and she gasped, reaching up to touch her bleeding lip. "Rod," she whispered, fear creeping through her. "Rod, it's just me, Bella."

Rodolphus turned to look at her, anger blazing in his eyes as he rested his hands on her sides. A Curse burned through Bellatrix's body, the witch shrieking in pain, though she could not get him off her as he would not release her. Bellatrix closed her eyes and struggled not to scream, shocked at her husband's reaction.

"Lestrange!" someone shouted, and Rodolphus was knocked away from Bellatrix, nearly falling off the other side of the bed. Bellatrix gasped for breath, dragging herself off the bed so that the man couldn't reach her.

Narcissa stepped to her sister's side, shocked at what she'd seen. "Bella, what did you do to him? What happened?"

Bellatrix glared at her sister. "Why do you assume it was me!? I was just sitting there, trying to help him get a drink—"

Rodolphus was still staring at her, a crazed smirk on his lips. "I hate you." His hoarse voice made Narcissa shiver.

"I know," Bellatrix whispered, biting the inside of her lip. Something had changed in her eyes, but Rodolphus didn't know what it was.

"Come," Narcissa said to her sister, watching Rodolphus uncomfortably. "I'll see what I can do for you…it looked painful."

"It was his best _Crucio_ yet," Bellatrix laughed bitterly. "He just keeps getting better—or worse, depending on how you look at it."

Rodolphus couldn't help smirking to himself as he fell asleep as they left the room. Perhaps it was all real, but hurting Bella had given him a slight suspicious that she might have been telling the truth.

* * *

Rodolphus regained his strength little by little, and three weeks later, he was able to walk in the gardens alone. He knew that somehow Dumbledore had been killed, but he didn't want to ask anyone about it. He didn't like talking to people anymore: he preferred being in solitude.

He heard footsteps and looked around, ready to _Crucio_ whoever wasn't smart enough to stay away from him. It was only when his own brother drew to a halt in front of him that he held back his Curse, staring. "Rabastan?"

"Rodolphus," the younger wizard answered with a sigh. "You scared us all. I thought you were going to die. You seriously can't leave me to deal with Bellatrix on my own."

"I hate her," Rodolphus said with conviction.

"So I've heard," Rabastan sighed. The man knew that his brother had been abusing Bellatrix since he had awakened, but had been busy with other things and never seen the two together. It didn't stop the others from talking, especially some of the younger Death Eaters that had witnessed it.

Rodolphus glared at his brother, and Rabastan said, "I hope you're doing better—for your sake." He sighed. "The Dark Lord isn't happy that you've taken so long to recover. You're supposed to be back to work this week, or...something. I forget what. Maybe he'll put you out of your misery."

The older wizard cracked a smile. "I wish he would."

"Don't say that!" Rabastan said angrily. "You're alive and free, aren't you?"

"My mind is not free, and you can hardly call how I exist 'living,'" Rodolphus spat at his brother.

Rabastan stared at Rodolphus for a moment, then said, "Are you ready to return to raiding and all? Because it's boring without you."

Rodolphus nodded uncertainly, and his brother grinned a little. "Good. There's going to be one in the next couple days, but I don't know exactly when. I'll be letting the Dark Lord know you're ready."

"Why you?"

"Me?" Rabastan raised an eyebrow. "Because I'm your brother."

"Why didn't Bella ask?" Rodolphus said, confused.

"She...didn't think it would go as well if she asked," Rabastan answered with a sigh. "She sent me, more or less."

The man's eyes narrowed, and he strode off toward the house, his younger brother watching him leave. "Wonderful," Rabastan muttered to himself. "I reminded him he was mad at her. Just great." Rabastan hurried up to the house, barricading himself in his room. There was no way he wanted to face either Bellatrix or Rodolphus in the next few hours.

* * *

Rodolphus leaned over and kissed his wife, tasting her tears on her lips. "Not so proud when you've been taught your place," he murmured, chuckling as she choked at his Curse.

He had attacked her the instant she'd entered their room, and she'd fallen prey to him easily, though he was sure she'd thought he'd be much kinder if she went along with what he had in mind. She was wrong. Rodolphus looked down into her beautiful face, tear-streaked and twisted in pain. "You're so beautiful," he smirked, and she closed her eyes, turning her face from him. A blow from his hand made her gasp, her body writhing beneath his as he hissed, "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Bellatrix stared up at him, looking stricken, tears trickling down her face. He was fascinated as he watched her cry; he never could have imagined that he could hurt her so much that she would allow tears to fall. He leaned down and kissed away her tears, her chest heaving as she sobbed silently. Rodolphus relished the moment, knowing that she would never cry if anyone else was there, but it was okay, he supposed, when they were alone.

He wondered what would cause her weakness, and wondered if it was that he no longer cared what he did to her, or if it was because she was sorry for how she had ruined his life. Rodolphus held back a bitter laugh as he allowed another _Crucio_ to flood over the witch he had pinned to the bed. She writhed for mere seconds before crying out, pleading with him, but he did not listen. He did not care if he hurt her: she had never cared what she had done, and it was her turn to suffer.

By the time Rodolphus had satisfied his need to play with and torture the unfortunate witch, she could barely string a sentence together, choked with sobs as she shuddered and writhed on the bed next to him. He slipped his arms around her, kissing her neck several times before pressing his face into her dark black locks, falling asleep to the sound of her broken cries.

* * *

By the next morning, Bellatrix had gone from the room, but Rodolphus smiled slightly, yawning as he stretched. He could always find Bellatrix: there was nowhere she could go. He did wonder where she had gone this time, though he knew she'd probably run to Narcissa for help and healing. Rodolphus chuckled to himself as he dressed for the day. There wasn't a single witch or wizard that could protect his wife from him, bless her.

He was going to go see if Bellatrix was indeed attempting to recover from what he had done to her when his Mark burned fiercely and he sighed, turning instead toward the main hall of Malfoy Manor. When Rodolphus entered the room, he saw his brother and several other Death Eaters gathered there, awaiting instruction.

"Rodolphus," came the Dark Lord's high, cold voice. "So delighted you could join us...Rabastan tells me you are ready to return to service."

"Yes, My Lord," Rodolphus said, his head held high as he looked straight into his master's eyes.

"This will test you," the Dark Lord said sharply. "I will not allow you to sit idle anymore, Lestrange. Especially after your show of Curses last night."

Rodolphus smirked at the memory, finally realising that Bellatrix was sitting at the right hand of the Dark Lord, seemingly trying to fade into the background. "Yes, My Lord," he answered much more calmly than he wanted to. He was more than ready to go out and do some damage.

Taking a seat next to Rabastan near the middle on the opposite side of the table from Bellatrix, Rodolphus listened intently to what their mission was. They were to lie in wait outside the place Potter currently lived until the Order attempted to move him. Severus apparently had all the information they needed.

It came as a surprise to Rodolphus that they would all be on brooms, but he didn't mind. He momentarily wondered how well he would do, but shrugged off the thought. He knew how to fly and he would be perfectly fine.

Mere hours later, Rodolphus found himself on a broom, hovering near his fellow Death Eaters as they watched a tiny house below them. "Can you see what's happening?" Rabastan called to Avery, who was watching below with a glass.

"Nothing yet," the man called back, frowning.

"Ha," said Bellatrix, turning away from Avery.

Rodolphus was slightly amused that Bellatrix still hated Marshall Avery, wondering what she had against the man. It had certainly turned both him and his brother against the Death Eater.

The Death Eaters talked quietly together as they waited, but Avery seemed to have not been paying attention, for there were suddenly other wizards flying to the north of them. Instantly, the Death Eaters headed straight for them, all of them realising that they had a problem. There were seven Harry Potters, all exactly identical, flying brooms, or Thestrals, or whatever, and no one knew who the real Potter was.

They split up, Rabastan and Bellatrix staying with Rodolphus, though he didn't know why Bellatrix would have chosen to remain with him. Perhaps she hadn't, though...he hadn't been paying attention to her. Rodolphus did know, however, why Bella chose to follow the Potter that she did: the boy was being escorted by one Nymphadora Tonks.

"Nymphie!" giggled Bellatrix, and the Potter seemed slightly amused, though very much frightened.

"Don't call me Nymphie!" the witch shouted back, sending hexes and curses flying back at the three. She knew very well who was after her and her charge.

Bellatrix cackled with laughter, and the brothers chuckled, sending spells at both the boy and Nymphadora. The boy seemed to gather his courage and fought back, both Lestrange brothers roaring with laughter at his attempts to duel. It wasn't until Rodolphus saw one of the boy's spells hit Rabastan straight in the head that he realised he shouldn't have been laughing like an idiot at the Potter.

Rabastan fell unconscious from his broom, and Rodolphus stared at his falling brother for seconds before diving after him, leaving Bellatrix to deal with her wayward niece and the Potter. "Rodolphus!" Bellatrix screeched after the man. "Leave him! Remember your orders!"

Rodolphus ignored her, grabbing his brother and pulling out of his sharp dive, though it was too late, and he dove from the broom, rolling over and over on the ground as he crash-landed. He sat up quickly, ducking as the broom splintered nearby. He cursed softly, then raised his wand and examined his brother. Rabastan was merely Stunned.

 _Damn Potter._ Didn't he know it was deadly to Stun someone who was flying so high above the ground? He enervated his brother, waiting with a sigh. Rabastan woke with a jerk, then gasped, "Where is everyone? What happened?"

"I—you were hit," Rodolphus shrugged, looking away. "We weren't chasing the right Potter, anyway, and I think Bellatrix knew that from the start. She was just after Nymphie…."

"You left the—thanks," Rabastan said gratefully, "but you're really going to get it from the Dark Lord upon your return."

"Yep," Rodolphus said uncharacteristically. "I'm thinking Bellatrix will tell him how I deliberately disobeyed orders, and I'll get tortured. I really don't mind being tortured, though, Rab. I can actually _feel_ something when I have a _Crucio_ rushing through me."

"Brilliant, Rodolphus," Rabastan rolled his eyes. "How about we go home? Where the hell are we?" He looked around in confusion.

Rodolphus smirked. "Really, really close to Nymphie's house?" he shrugged. "I have no idea."

Rabastan shook his head. "She doesn't live anywhere near here," he said. "She still stays with her parents, and they're over in Ireland, I think. That's where the Mudblood's from, anyway."

"How do _you_ know this?" Rodolphus frowned at his brother.

"Avery told me," Rabastan scowled. "Seems he still keeps track of Andromeda and her family of filth."

"Of course," Rodolphus muttered, then dragged himself to his feet. "Ready to go home?"

"More than," Rabastan sighed. "There's no way we could find the others."

"We're both going to get it from the Dark Lord," Rodolphus chuckled, then glanced at his brother. "Didn't mean for it to happen to you, too."

Rabastan shook his head slightly. "Brotherhood. Let's just go."

Rodolphus grabbed his brother by the arm and disapparated. When they appeared, both of them saw Narcissa waiting in the Entrance Hall. Rabastan grinned. "Bella's chasing Nymphie again," he said. "No telling when she'll be back. Don't know what happened to the others; we all split up because there were _seven_ Potters...someone in the Order has way too much time on their hands to make up these stupid schemes."

"Yes," Rodolphus chuckled, both brothers walking from the hall to the library. "I expect we'll be called to report on what happened, unless the Dark Lord manages to find the right boy. He _was_ going out himself."

Rabastan nodded, then threw himself into a chair and picked up a book, beginning to read the fourth chapter. Rodolphus shook his head at his brother's habit of not reading the beginnings of books and stared into the fire, reaching out for the warmth as he waited for the others to return.

To the brothers' surprise, they were not questioned about the raid, even though Bellatrix returned, steaming like a tea kettle, and wouldn't speak to them about it. Rodolphus went to their room and went to bed soon after everyone had returned, glad that he hadn't had to explain himself. He didn't want to tell anyone that he still cared about his little brother's welfare, even if not about anything or anyone else.

Rodolphus fell asleep before Bellatrix joined him, not even stirring as she slipped beneath the sheets quietly, curling up as she tried to calm her racing heart. She was sure that if her husband had been awake, she would have suffered the same abuse she had the previous night. Bellatrix didn't want that, but Narcissa refused to give her another room in the manor. The dark-haired witch bit her lip, trying to calm her fears as she set a waking charm on her sleeve, hoping to be up and gone long before Rodolphus woke—she did not want any more of what he had already forced her to suffer.


	32. Chapter 32

Rodolphus was sitting in the sitting room across from Narcissa and Lucius, waiting for Bellatrix to return from the raid she'd led. He had plans for her, designs that he was impatient for as he smirked, polishing his wand. Bellatrix would undoubtedly be strung high on wandless magic, giddy in her thirst for blood when she returned. He would drink it in happily.

It was only when he felt the change in the wards that he got to his feet, making his way to the entrance hall to greet Bellatrix. She tripped into the hall moments later, shrieking with delighted laughter as other Death Eaters arrived behind her. Rodolphus stepped forward, his hand closing tightly on his wife's right arm.

The witch looked up to him, and he smirked directly into her eyes, leaning closer to her and whispering, "Had fun, Bella?"

Bellatrix looked back at him and cackled with glee. "The most fun in a while," she smirked, laughing.

He practically dragged her from the room, ignoring the stares of shock and disdain from the other Death Eaters. "Rodolphus, really," she hissed as he forced her down the hall toward their room. "You're breaking every rule of pureblood propriety there ever was and you blame _me_!"

"Aw, Bella," he sneered, shoving her up against the wall, ready to tear her apart. "You sound so concerned about your reputation. There is nothing you can do to repair it: it is forever tarnished in your failure as a pureblood wife and a woman in general."

"You are a despicable man," she snarled at him as he kissed her neck, chuckling as he allowed a trickle of magic to run down her back.

He laughed darkly as she hissed in pain, the man's hands rubbing her body lustfully as he Cursed her. "Rod," she groaned, her eyes closed with the pain. "Take me to our room...I'll do what you want, I swear."

Rodolphus smirked, intensifying his spell, and she writhed against the wall, biting back any sound the pain begged her to make. "You won't," he said, kissing her cheek softly. "I know you."

Bellatrix was struggling against him, but he bound her magic, laughing at her attempts to get away. He renewed the _Crucio_ , redirecting the spell to increase her pain. Her body convulsed against his, her head flinging back and hitting the wall, the witch opening her mouth to scream before she clenched her teeth, glaring at her husband.

"Bella," he murmured, pressing kisses to her jawline and down her neck, his hand causing the material of her dress to split as he ran his hand down the front of her. "You suffer so much...was it worth it, Bellatrix?"

She did not answer, and Rodolphus grabbed her by the arm, turning her around and slamming her face-first against the wall. She gave a cry as he yanked her arm behind her back, and Rodolphus smirked, applying pressure to the arm he'd just dislocated. A shriek of pain escaped Bellatrix as he laughed coldly.

"What the hell are you doing?" came a shout, and Rodolphus looked up to see who dared interrupt him punishing his wife.

"Shaul!" came another cry, and Rodolphus was struck by a spell, sinking to the hall floor slowly. The only thing Rodolphus later remembered seeing was a young man with dark hair staring at him in horror as he fell, struck from behind with a spell.

* * *

When Rodolphus woke, immediately reaching up to rub his head with a groan, he realised that Bellatrix lay next to him, awake, though pretending to sleep. "What happened?" Rodolphus demanded of her in spite of his riotous headache.

Bellatrix didn't move, but Rodolphus leaned over to her, pulling the witch into his side. "Who was that young wizard there?" he said almost softly, his hand on her hip.

"He's one of the newest Death Eaters, he and his brother," Bella said, looking up at her husband. "I am in charge of their training, and...they must have thought you were a training target."

"Ha!" chuckled Rodolphus as if it were a joke, and Bellatrix looked unsure how to react.

"Rod," Bellatrix whispered, looking up into his eyes, "it's all going to be over soon. The final battle is drawing nearer. It will be the worst yet."

Rodolphus looked down at her. "There's nothing left for me here, Bellatrix," he said bitterly. "There is no reason I should be concerned about a 'final battle.'"

Bellatrix looked down, sighing as she cautiously traced circles on his chest with her fingers. "I wish you would," she said. "I wish you'd remember all the good times we used to have...before our lives were twisted out of control."

Rodolphus sat up, gritting his teeth as he stared at the witch. "We chose it!" he hissed. "We chose to do all of it! Even you chose to break your vows—"

"Rod," Bella breathed, grabbing hold of his arms. "Don't say that. He—I had to. You used to know I didn't want it—it was my duty."

"You had a duty to me," Rodolphus said coldly. "But it never mattered to you, did it."

"Even you would break your vows if it meant your life would be spared," Bellatrix half shrieked at him.

"I was better than that at one point," Rodolphus said, almost amused. "Though I have never been unfaithful to you in my own power."

Bellatrix growled under her breath, pulling him back down to lie next to her. "And you think I make you look bad. Damn you, Rodolphus Lestrange."

He leaned his head against hers and sighed. He couldn't understand why he'd awakened feeling amiable toward the witch: his madness was definitely more obvious after this last escape.

* * *

Rodolphus was kneeling over Bellatrix as she drew painful, gasping breaths, the witch glaring up at her husband. "I don't care what you do!" she yelled out. "I'm not sorry—I am the Dark Lord's Most Faithful—" Bellatrix's body twitched as he struck her across the face.

"You are no one's most faithful, Bellatrix," Rodolphus hissed in her ear, feeling the witch struggling beneath him. "Oh stop," he rolled his eyes at her. "I won't let you go."

"I hate you," Bellatrix groaned as Rodolphus pressed his lips to her collarbone, then kissed her down her chest.

He chuckled, feeling her arms snake around his neck and pull him closer. For hating him, she surely seemed to enjoy how he used her, in spite of the pain he was sure he caused. Bellatrix seemed to have learned to appreciate the damage he did to her, allowing him to mostly do what he wanted with her, though she would still have her furiously stubborn days.

Rodolphus relished the moments that she welcomed his touch: it almost made him feel wanted, though he knew it was only because she knew it was impossible to escape him. These thoughts would in turn make him angry, and he would hurt her more, the witch crying out his name as his passion increased with her fear and pain.

He had her shuddering beneath him in agony when she gasped out, "Rodolphus, please—my Mark—!" He growled in fury, releasing the broken witch, and she scrambled from the bed, still shaking from the pain, bruises littering her body.

"Wait," Rodolphus hissed, and Bellatrix looked back at him, her eyes dark with pain and hesitation. "Let me help you…."

Bellatrix stared at him as he touched his wand to her, beginning to heal her from what he had done. "Stop!" she gasped, pushing him away. "I've got to go!"

Rodolphus was about to follow her from the room when he felt his own Mark burn, and darted after his wife, quickly performing more healing spells on her as they walked. "No!" she snarled, shoving him away as they made their way toward the hall.

"Don't you want to be at your best for him?" Rodolphus couldn't resist taunting her.

"You understand nothing!" she hissed before slipping into the hall, making her way to the front. Rodolphus nodded to himself. He had healed her well enough that her injuries weren't obvious unless you inspected her closely.

Rodolphus quickly realised that something was very wrong as he saw his brother waiting there before the Dark Lord, silent and still. Bellatrix shuffled close and bowed herself to her master, murmuring, "My Lord…."

Lord Voldemort stared down at her, then walked closer and struck her to the floor with a blow from his hand. "You have failed me."

"My Lord!" cried Bella in horror. "What is it?"

"You have all failed me!" the Dark Lord hissed, advancing on the dark-haired witch on the floor. "But you most of all, Bellatrix."

"No!" Bellatrix almost sobbed. "Please—I don't know what you mean!"

"Your vault at Gringotts was robbed this morning, Bellatrix," he said coldly. "A certain...boy, and his two friends—the Mudblood impersonating you—broke into your vault."

Bellatrix was staring at the man, shaking her head in terror and horror. "No. No! Master, I—" the witch screeched with pain as the Dark Lord cast a special curse on her, Bellatrix unable to fight the agony of the spell.

Lord Voldemort snarled, "Yes, Bella, yes. Goblins say they had inside help. They stole your dragon—and you know what else they took, don't you, Bellatrix."

"My Lord," Bellatrix shrieked, tears on her face, "I—I'm sorry! I questioned them when they were here! They said—"

"They were here?" Rodolphus said, stunned. He knew the instant that he spoke that he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Yes," Rabastan said numbly. "But only the Malfoys and Bella were here at the time...we were out on a raid. That's why the Malfoys and Bellatrix have been under house arrest, because the three escaped...saving prisoners from the dungeon as well."

Rodolphus kept his face neutral, wondering how on earth three teens could possibly outwit Bellatrix and all three Malfoys. Luck had definitely deserted the Malfoys.

Bellatrix still lay weeping on the ground, and the Dark Lord looked at each of them. "All those who once proved their faithfulness to me have failed me. There will be a great price to pay."

"Yes, My Lord," they all agreed.

Rodolphus' stomach turned as he watched Bellatrix suffer under their master's curses, though Rodolphus had to admit: the man had style. He didn't find her suffering the least bit attractive this time, supposing it was because he wasn't the one causing it. As Bellatrix screamed out, unable to contain her pain, Rodolphus became concerned: Bellatrix was the only one who never cried out at the Dark Lord's curses. The man was clearly infuriated at their failure to prevent something they couldn't keep from happening.

Rodolphus watched his brother fall to the Dark Lord's furious spells, the younger wizard yelling out in pain as he too suffered the Dark Lord's wrath. Rodolphus couldn't recall his brother yelling so loudly since he'd been under the werewolf cure, and watched Rabastan shriek in agony, his levels of resistance to Dark magic clearly much lower than Bella's.

When it was his own turn, Rodolphus realised immediately why his wife and his brother had yelled and screamed so in their agony. It was the harshest, most damaging _Crucio_ that Rodolphus had ever felt, and he realised that the Dark Lord did not care if he permanently incapacitated him. Rodolphus couldn't help yelling in pain himself, writhing on the floor, though he held firmly to the idea that the torture would eventually end.

He sat up slowly when it was over, all three of them looking up at the still furious Lord Voldemort. The man stared at each of them for a few seconds, then swept from the room, leaving them to each other. Rabastan groaned as he finally sat up, glancing at his brother. "Damn Potter."

They both looked to Bellatrix, who was still lying on the floor, weeping. Rodolphus crawled over to her and slipped his arm underneath her, drawing her into his arms. "Bellatrix," he murmured, kissing her head.

"No," Bella pleaded as tears trickled down her face. "Not now, Rod."

"I hurt too much to hurt you too," Rodolphus told her, and she sniffed, leaning closer to him hopefully. "Shh," he shushed her gently, though his body ached with the pain of their punishment and he was sure that Bellatrix hurt too.

Rabastan left the room as quickly as he could, and Rodolphus said softly, "Come on, Bella. Let's go rest for a little while, and find ourselves a potion or something."

Rodolphus helped his wife to her feet and they walked to their room, each with an arm around the other. They both pulled off their outer robes, lying down in the bed, both hissing with pain as they relaxed into the sheets. Rodolphus reached over and slipped his arm around Bellatrix, moving closer to her as he loosely held her to himself. She pressed her face against his shirt and didn't speak as he rubbed her back gently with his thumb.

"It'll all be over soon," Rodolphus promised her, kissing her head once more before laying his head on the pillow and falling asleep with his wife in his arms.


	33. Chapter 33: Battle of Hogwarts, Part One

**This is part one of the Battle of Hogwarts! Decided I had better split it, as I have other things to put in the second half. :) I just love all my characters right now and don't want to part with any of them. :'(**

 **Anyway, here you are. Enjoy.**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

The next afternoon, Bellatrix and Rodolphus were sitting next to each other in the sitting room when their Marks burned, and Bella jumped to her feet. "It's today!" she gasped, and Rodolphus got to his feet, the two rushing from the room and into the hall.

Their master was not there, but as their fellow Death Eaters poured into the hall, Rodolphus realised that Bellatrix was right. This was something more. "Bella," he breathed, and she looked at him, her eyes dark with anticipation, though she shot him a small smirk.

He saw Rabastan run in a second later and raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Late much?"

The younger wizard smirked too. "We're going to Hogwarts to destroy the opposition, finally," he said. "Hasn't been getting through to them—Severus was just here...it seems that the other professors ran him out of the castle."

"Ha, ha, ha," giggled Bellatrix at the thought. "Nobody likes Snivellus, it would seem."

Rabastan chuckled at the witch's words, shaking his head slightly, but Rodolphus didn't move until their Marks burned yet again, everyone present disapparating to a cliff near Hogwarts. The brothers stood together, staring out over the cliff as Bellatrix hurried up to her master, standing to the side.

"They are preparing for battle," the Dark Lord smiled coldly. "Fools."

The Death Eaters fell silent, and their master continued, "We will bring down the wards and storm the castle. Potter is here; the boy dies today."

Bellatrix cackled in delight, the other Death Eaters shouting their approval. She was the first to raise her wand after the Dark Lord, the first to begin bombarding the wards of the school with spells.

Rodolphus and Rabastan raised their wands at the same time, Rodolphus solemnly, Rabastan with a wicked grin on his face. Rodolphus stared down at the castle, wondering about the innocent students that were there, most of whom wouldn't have stood between them and Potter if they had known what was happening. He was disappointed that so much young blood would be shed, though he was sure the Order had been called in, and that others would be running to the castle as soon as they got the news. Rodolphus would much rather kill the older ones, the ones who knew better. They were the reason filth pervaded their society.

It was nearly fifteen minutes later when the wards lit, the boundaries visible to all the Death Eaters, then crumbled with a loud crackle of magic. Hogwarts was once again lit with sparks as the wards shattered, releasing the magic that had been protecting the school.

The instant they were given the signal, the Death Eaters disapparated one by one, appearing closer to the castle and splitting into groups as they moved to attack from different angles. Rodolphus followed Bellatrix as she ran forward, throwing blasting spells at the supporting structures of the upper balconies.

Immediately, they were attacked by a few students on top of the nearby towers, and another Death Eater yelled, "Spiders to the towers! Send the dementors to cover the area! Have them do as they will with those they find!"

Rodolphus shuddered, feeling sorry for the victims. At least their end would be swift, not drawn out. He felt the dementors passing over and heard Bellatrix whimper. "Bella," he called to her, and when she looked up, he reached over and took her hand. "Share the spell," he said softly, and the two sent a blasting curse up toward the balcony, running for the doors as the stone began to crumble from the top.

The doors to the school crumbled before Bellatrix and Rodolphus' spell, and the two led the way into the school, hearing apparitions all around them as they realised the perks of having no apparition wards. Death Eaters entered the castle behind Bella and Rod as they fiercely struck down those that dared oppose them.

The moment they had broken through the first defense of the rebels, Bellatrix shrieked with laughter and darted off down a hallway to find another victim, leaving Rodolphus to wonder if he should follow her so she didn't accidentally get herself killed. Rabastan grinned at his brother. "Come on, Rod," he said. "Already killed five. You?"

"Tell you later," Rodolphus smirked. "You could never best me anyway."

"Ha!" said Rabastan, the two brothers choosing the more crowded hallway. They cut through the crowd, covering each other's backs as well as they could.

Rodolphus glared at one small girl that he knew right away was underaged. "You should be home, brat," he told her before Stunning her easily.

"Rod!" Rabastan shouted at him. "That's one more that you could have counted!"

"You!" came an angry voice, and Rodolphus looked up to see the red-haired girl from the Ministry on an upper floor.

"Oh, Merlin," Rodolphus rolled his eyes. "What did I ever do to you? Come down here and fight properly, little girl."

"You won't get to Harry if I have anything to do about it!" she yelled down at him, sending spells in his direction.

Rabastan raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Females just don't like you."

Rodolphus glared at him before disapparating to appear on the same level as the Weasley girl. "You think we want Potter?" he chuckled. "The Dark Lord wants Potter: we're just here for the fun of making pretty girls like you scream—in whichever way best pleases us."

"Sick bastard," came a taunting voice, a spell missing Rodolphus by centimeters, and he turned to see Nymphadora behind him, a smirk on her face.

"Nymphie!" Rabastan supplied in Bella's stead. "Good to see you again!" He attacked her immediately, leaving Rodolphus to duel the Weasley girl if he wanted.

"Ginny, get out of here!" Nymphadora ordered her, but Ginny refused, staying at the witch's side.

"I'm not leaving you to them!"

The brothers laughed at the two, easily keeping the Weasley girl busy as they looked to find a weakness in Nymphadora. Finally, the black-haired witch flung a spell toward Ginny, who jumped in shock, and Nymphadora moved in front of her, fully taking on both Rodolphus and Rabastan. "Get out of here, Ginny!" she shouted at the girl. "Now!"

Ginny hesitated, then ran away from them, back toward the hall, calling, "I'll get help!"

Rodolphus chuckled, and Rabastan grinned. "Nice girl, I suppose," he shrugged. "Noble purpose. Too bad."

"You're despicable," Nymphadora hissed at him. "She is a decent girl, and intelligent, and—"

"As if I care," Rabastan sniggered, laughing as she jumped to avoid one of his spells.

"No, you only care if the girl's got good tits," Rodolphus smirked. "Take Dora for example—you did take a liking to her when she was at Malfoy Manor, anyway." Rabastan agreed, then laughed at Nymphadora's blush. "He thought you were kept in the dungeon for his amusement."

"But you stopped me," Rabastan scowled at him, "Or I could tell you exactly how much fun she is. I'd take her right now if she weren't trying to kill me," Rabastan smirked at the look of anger on the witch's face.

Nymphadora grazed his cheek with a furious spell, and Rodolphus replied with a series of deadly curse, all of which missed her. He did manage to slice open her wand arm with a spell, and her wand fell from her motionless fingers, the witch powerless to stop Rabastan as he Summoned her wand to his other hand. She gasped as Rodolphus' spell pinned her to the wall, Rabastan immediately in her face, his wand in her side.

She writhed in pain as he chuckled, leaning closer to her as he intensified the Curse. "Tell me it hurts," Rabastan murmured, and she shuddered at the feeling of his lips against her cheek. "Doesn't it hurt, Nymphie?"

"I hate you," she ground out through her teeth.

"Now, that isn't nice," Rabastan pouted at her. "Bad Nymphie. One would have thought your mother would have taught you to love everybody—"

"Ha!" Dora laughed through her pain. "She only loves Dad, and might love me, though I'm not sure anymore. Oh—"

"Aw," Rabastan soothed, patting the witch's back reassuringly as another Dark curse made her groan with pain. "Poor Nymphie. Does it hurt _now_?"

Rodolphus frowned. He never knew that his brother liked the same torture methods he did. The girl gasped with pain, pinned against the wall as Rabastan placed his hand on her hip, magic crackling. "This could be fun," he grinned, and Dora glared straight into his eyes.

The older Lestrange blew out his breath sharply. "Rabastan, we don't have time for this. Besides, it's Nymphadora. Bella wants her."

They all gasped when they felt the Silencing Ward go up over the entire school, and the Dark Lord's voice sounded in their minds. Nymphadora shuddered beneath Rabastan, as the man hadn't lifted the Curse. Rodolphus glared at his brother, and Rabastan stepped away from the girl, motioning Rodolphus to her welcomingly.

Nymphadora slid down the stone wall as she looked to him, probably wondering what he would do to her. Rodolphus sighed as he regarded her. "You should have joined us, Nymphadora," he told her. "I would not destroy such beauty of power and rage for your mere refusal to follow your destiny."

"I could not," Nymphadora breathed. "I'm not worthy...you know what I feel. You were there when I told the Dark Lord—"

"Rodolphus, we haven't got time for this," Rabastan hissed, gripping onto his left arm. "Don't you even feel that?"

The man sighed, regarding Bellatrix's niece for a moment longer. "You are descended from noble blood, albeit tainted by your Mudblood father...we can overlook that for your powers, I assure you, Nymphadora."

She shook her head firmly. "I won't abandon my husband and child to become something everyone has struggled to protect me from, Lestrange."

"You will suffer for your foolishness."

The two turned away from her, and Nymphadora spoke up again: "How about you give back my wand?" They turned, Rabastan raising an eyebrow in astonishment before the girl added, "And tell Bella I'm disappointed in her for not being able to find me. I've been waiting."

Rabastan laughed too, tossing the witch's wand onto the floor. "Enjoy your two hours. We'll be back, Nymphie."

The two disapparated, finding themselves on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They followed the others into the forest, joining the Dark Lord in a clearing. Bellatrix danced up to them, her dress bloodstained and torn in a few places, though Rodolphus first noticed the jagged cut on her head.

"Bella," he breathed, reaching out and brushing her hair back from her forehead. "What happened?" He pressed his wand to the bloody cut and healed her, Bellatrix pouting as she looked away.

"Don't worry: I killed him," she said simply.

Rodolphus reached out and wrapped his arm around her, hushing her softly as she tried to pull away. "Stay," he murmured in her ear. "Stay here for the hours that are left: we'll be back to fighting soon."

Bellatrix sighed and relented, allowing him to pull her into his arms as he leaned back against a tree. "Rodolphus," she murmured, and he hugged her, kissing her head. "Why are you being like this?" she sighed. "I wish you'd be like this more."

He wrapped his arm around her waist, embracing her as he rubbed her back gently. "I just want a few minutes with you while we have peace," he said, and felt Bellatrix sigh, leaning into him in spite of her doubt. She lay her head against his shoulder, the witch closing her eyes to relax there for a moment.

It was only when something deep within Rodolphus prompted him that he murmured, "I love you, Bellatrix."

A small shiver went through her, and she said, "Has it changed? You always say that you hate me."

"You know you can't believe a word I say," Rodolphus muttered, half confused and embarrassed. "Can't trust my mind…."

Bellatrix turned to look up at him, and he stared down at her, not sure what to do or say. She drew a soft breath, then slipped her hand up to his shoulder and leaned up, pressing her lips to his.

Rodolphus knew that this kiss was different, that it meant something more than mere show. He held Bella close, kissing her as earnestly and as lovingly as he knew how. When she drew back, looking into his eyes as she seemed to be struggling with something she needed to say. "Yes, Bella?" he sighed, brushing her black locks out of her beautiful eyes.

Bellatrix stared at him, a terrible look in her eyes, and Rodolphus knew that she felt it too: something bad was going to happen to them. "Rod," she managed before words failed her, and he gently cupped her chin in his hand.

"I know, Bella, I know," he said softly, a sorrowful look on his face. "There's something very wrong...I think this is goodbye."

"Rod, listen," Bellatrix gasped, staring into his eyes pleadingly as she struggled to speak. Rodolphus watched his wife try to tell him something that effected her deeply, something that had bothered her for a long time. "We," she began, then paled. "Rod, I—"

He could sense her panic, and leaned forward, kissing her forehead. "It's okay, Bella," he murmured. "It's okay…I love you."

Bella's hand gripped into a fist on his shoulder. "Stop," she hissed, but he'd seen the look in her eyes. He reached out to cup her chin in his hand again, Bella looking straight into his dark eyes. "I—I l—" she began, then cut off sharply, pulling away from her husband and looking toward the darkness of the woods between them and the school.

She looked back at her husband, a strangely human look in her eyes before she rushed to the Dark Lord's side to see if the Boy-Who-Lived would appear to meet his death and save his friends. Rodolphus watched Bellatrix stand there before all the other Death Eaters, beside their Dark Lord, and smirked with pride. No one held a candle to _his_ Bellatrix: he was more than honoured to be able to stand by her side and hold her for a few minutes in the eye of the storm.


	34. Chapter 34

**Sorry it's been such a long time since I updated! There's been turmoil at home and work, and also I just haven't been inspired. Hopefully I'll be getting over that now. Do enjoy! :D**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Rodolphus peered into the darkness beyond Bellatrix and their master, waiting to see if the Boy-Who-Lived had indeed showed up as invited. Less than two minutes later, two Death Eaters appeared with Potter held at wandpoint. Other Death Eaters jeered as the boy walked forward, his eyes on the Dark Lord.

They were silenced by their master, all watching as Lord Voldemort addressed the dark-haired young man. Rodolphus frowned, wondering what could make anyone do something so stupid as to walk to their own death. Surely the boy had been forced to do it.

Rodolphus did not react when the Killing Curse was cast, only frowned slightly when the Dark Lord refused to let Bella check the body for him. Narcissa walked forward, nearly everyone watching her as she knelt beside the boy and touched him, feeling for a heartbeat. The witch finally stood and turned to her family's master emotionlessly. "Dead."

Bellatrix shrieked in delight, and Rodolphus grinned at her enthusiasm, the witch giggling with glee as Rodolphus walked up, slipping his arm around her. "We should celebrate," he murmured in her ear, and she smirked.

"After we've destroyed the last resistance," Bellatrix said softly, then turned to their master, awaiting their orders.

* * *

"Harry Potter is dead!"

"No!" came a horrified scream. Rodolphus raised an eyebrow at the red-haired girl that seemed to show up everywhere he met the opposition. Foolish child.

Bellatrix was cackling with laughter, and other Death Eaters were cheering joyously. Rabastan stood beside his brother, proud, but silent. Rodolphus did not join in the cheering, solemn at their minor victory. The war would not end just because Potter was dead.

Several of Potter's Gryffindor friends yelled out in disagreement with the Dark Lord, and were mildly tortured. Bellatrix started forward, deciding to make an example of the Longbottom boy, and Rodolphus sighed slightly. "Bella," he muttered under his breath. Of course she'd set the boy on fire.

They were all so busy laughing and watching the boy squirm that when Potter's body moved, almost no one noticed. Rodolphus stared for a second, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him. He did not dare say a word, his heart pounding fiercely in his chest as he thought in horror of what it would mean if Potter was still alive.

To Rodolphus' further horror, the Boy-Who-Lived jumped to his feet and dashed away, running through the pillars of the courtyard. Several Death Eaters cried out in fear, disapparating immediately, and immediate chaos ensued as Voldemort roared in fury, sending spell after spell at the fleeing boy.

Bellatrix was screaming after Lucius to come back, to fight, but the man appeared not to have heard her. Rodolphus nearly collided with Narcissa in the confusion among the Death Eaters, and she drew a sharp breath. "Get out of here," he hissed at her. "The danger you've brought to you, your family—when this is over, the Dark Lord will not be merciful." Narcissa did not speak, but rushed away after her husband, the two going to look for their son.

Rodolphus darted forward into the fight once more, taking on three older students at the same time. They were no match for him, and he defeated them in less than a minute. Battling his way through the Light, Rodolphus wondered to what end he was fighting. Bellatrix was on the other side of the Great Hall, the fight having spilled into the school. The witch was shrieking with insane laughter as she sent spell after spell at the three girls she was dueling.

He smirked slightly, though turned carefully to avoid more spells, returning them as he thought proudly of how powerful Bellatrix was. It was at that moment that he heard a deadly voice hiss, "Not my daughter, you _bitch_!"

Only Bella could be addressed like that, Rodolphus grinned to himself, turning to see the fun. It seemed that his little red-haired shadow had a mother, who was now angrily facing Bellatrix on one of the house tables. "Come on, _Ma Belle_ ," he whispered. "Destroy her."

Rodolphus could never explain to anyone what happened soon after that; it hurt him far too much to ever speak of it. Bellatrix, her eyes flashing and her wand a blur, slipped up, freezing on the spot even as she shrieked with laughter. "Bella?" Rodolphus breathed in horror, staring at her. "No!" He took one step toward his beautiful wife, but it was too late. The witch fell lifeless to the table. _Bellatrix_! his mind screamed, refusing to believe it. _Oh Merlin, no. Bella!_

A strangled sound came from him, and Rodolphus heard someone call his name. Rabastan was running toward him across the Hall, two Aurors in pursuit. "Rod!" the younger wizard yelled. "Move!"

The instant Rodolphus stepped toward his brother, multiple curses flew past him, and Rabastan raised his wand, casting shielding spells behind him as he caught up to his brother. "This place is too closed in," Rabastan breathed. "Let's get out of here—" he whirled to parry several hexes sent toward him and his brother.

Rabastan grasped his brother's arm, disapparating with him. The two appeared in the courtyard, Rabastan immediately stepping in front of his brother and jumping into a duel with one of the Order. "Rodolphus, come on!"

Rodolphus stepped to his brother side, a deadly look in his eyes as he, with seemingly no trouble, killed the Order member within three spells. "Filth," he glared at the body. "Come on. There's lots more waiting for us."

Smirking, Rabastan agreed as they moved on, cutting through the resistance with ease. It was not but moments later that both Lestranges gasped as their Marks flared, then completely died out. "What's happened?" Rabastan almost whispered, nearly everyone paused in their dueling.

"The...Dark Lord is dead," Rodolphus muttered, staring down at his rapidly fading Mark. Bellatrix would be in a terrible mood tonight. Pain shot through Rodolphus' entire being, and he roared with anger, sending mad curses flying in every direction. Rabastan stayed at his side, fighting valiantly despite the odds.

The two entered a nearly silent courtyard to the sounds of crying, the battle noise faded into the background. Rodolphus raised his wand and walked forward, ready to kill whatever stupid child was attempting to hide there.

"Don't," Rabastan whispered. "It's Nymphie! How is she still alive?!"

"That must be her werewolf husband," Rodolphus nodded, indicating the man that the girl was sobbing over.

"What's left of him," Rabastan chuckled. "You know he'll be back on the full moon, don't you, girl?"

Nymphadora looked up to see the younger wizard pointing his wand at her heart and shook with sobs, squeezing her dead husband's hand tightly. "Nymphie," Rabastan sighed, but Rodolphus suddenly yelled, "Rab, look out!"

The two brothers jumped to avoid the spells from the incoming wizards: it seemed that the Aurors had found their location. They were facing at least five Aurors, whose intent was to kill them or capture them.

Rodolphus stood against them alone after Rabastan fell to several binding and Stunning spells together, his eyes burning with hatred and fury. He would not go down easily. It took several minutes for the Aurors to be able to best the man, Rodolphus sinking to his knees before he could be disarmed. "Bastards!" Rodolphus yelled, and reached out toward his brother, chains rattling before the Aurors pulled the two apart.

"Take them to the others," one Auror commanded. "Keep them bound at all times. These two are not to be messed with, obviously."

"Rabastan," Rodolphus breathed. "Rab, wake up. Please."

"Shut up, Death Eater," said another Auror. "He'll wake soon enough, to Dementors, if we have our wish."

The two brothers were chained to several other already bound Death Eaters, and Rodolphus was grateful that he was right next to his brother. "Rab," he hissed, nudging the unconscious man discretely. "Rab, do wake up. You've only been Stunned, I know. Well, at least I think so. Just tell me you're alive. Please?"

Rodolphus breathed a sigh of relief when Rabastan stirred several minutes later. He nudged his brother carefully. "Rab, wake up."

"No...I refuse," Rabastan groaned, then shifted slightly, jumping in shock when his chains rattled. "The _hell?!_ "

"That's where we're headed," Rodolphus sighed. "It's over. We're finished."

"Great," Rabastan scowled, looking out over the courtyard. "Just—look, Rod, who's that with Nymphie? Isn't that her mother, Andromeda?"

Rodolphus turned reluctantly to see Nymphadora crossing the courtyard, an older witch at her side, her arm around the young woman. Rodolphus knew immediately that the brown-haired witch was indeed Andromeda Black Tonks—the resemblance to Bellatrix was too obvious. He nodded slightly to his brother, staring at the two witches with fire in his eyes.

To the boys' surprise, Nymphadora and her mother held a quiet conversation, and Andromeda went on in to the Great Hall of the castle while Nymphadora turned toward the Lestrange brothers. "What—what did you mean when you said that he'd come back during the full moon?" she asked Rabastan softly, and Rodolphus smirked to realise she was keeping her distance from them.

"Just what I said," Rabastan replied, feigning great patience as he rolled his eyes. "He's a werewolf, and after a werewolf dies, on the next full moon, they become a werewolf permanently—"

"—unless the dead human body is burnt first," Rodolphus interrupted, concerned that Rabastan would say too much. "Then it's all over for both forms."

"—and never return to their human state," Rabastan finished, glaring at his brother. Rodolphus frowned, knowing his brother had nothing but evil intentions toward the girl.

"Why are you talking to her?" snapped one of the other prisoners who had been silent til then. "You're not supposed to be, you know. Bellatrix would—"

"Bellatrix is dead," snarled Rabastan at the offending prisoner. "We're probably going to get Kissed, and there's a lot of things we can really do to help ourselves right now."

The shock of Rabastan's words hit Rodolphus hard, and his face drained of all colour, his chains rattling as his body trembled. "Oh, Merlin!" he sobbed without tears, unable to bear the spoken truth. "Bellatrix!"

The girl clapped her hands over her ears, a sob escaping her as she ran from them, back to join her mother in the school. Rabastan turned to his brother, but couldn't reach him through his battle of emotions.

Rodolphus was trembling all over, attempting to stop himself from thinking about seeing his beautiful, lovely wife die needlessly in the battle. He couldn't breathe—it hurt too much. The man felt ill, gasping for breath as he struggled not to fall to pieces in the middle of the courtyard.

He didn't register Rabastan trying to talk to him, trying to calm him, but buried his face in his hands, just wishing he could get away from it all. He was going to break completely if something didn't change: he couldn't live without Bella. She had been his anchor.

Aurors came from the school, taking Rabastan from the group of prisoners, but Rodolphus didn't hear them, or see them. Only when Rabastan placed a chained hand on his brother's shoulder and murmured to him in French did the man look up and speak angrily to the Aurors. "Shhh," Rabastan said to his brother. "Come on. Let's join the party."

Rodolphus numbly entered the Great Hall with the others, refusing to look at anyone. He hated them all—except Nymphadora. He saw her for a few moments, the witch looking straight at him before he turned back to where the Aurors were taking him. He almost shouted in horror, though managed to shut down every outward response as he saw his dead wife lying on the house table before him.

"You two can sit here," the Aurors told them. "Don't try anything. We'll be right here."

Rodolphus was crumbling inwardly as he sank down at the table, his hand immediately grasping Bella's. She was cold. He closed his eyes in pain, leaning down to hide his face in her side. It hurt too much to bear. He didn't dare speak because of everyone around, but his mind was screaming her name, begging her to be playing with him.

But he knew the truth—and he couldn't handle it. Rodolphus was grateful that his face was hidden as tears ran from his eyes into Bellatrix's warrior dress. He forced himself to make no sound, but couldn't contain his pain and horror anymore.

It seemed like a long time later that Rodolphus heard someone say, "Shall we have the prisoners sent off so the clean up can begin?"

"Yes!" came the reply of a young male voice. "Make sure the Lestranges get that Kiss this time."

Rodolphus didn't even respond. It didn't matter.

The room seemed to still as a woman's voice spoke. "No."

Rodolphus finally looked up from Bellatrix to see that Nymphadora had turned away from the window and stepped forward. He watched her cautiously, still clutching his dead wife's hand tightly.

"They can go to a holding cell at the Ministry until we've decided their fate," Nymphadora said firmly, looking around at her friends and colleagues. "Besides, Bellatrix was their motivation. Now that she's gone, they'll be...easier to deal with. Let's not make a hasty decision concerning them."

"Crazy bitch," Rabastan muttered. "She doesn't know anything—"

"Shut it," Rodolphus hissed warningly.

The Aurors pulled the brothers up from the table and marched them away, disapparating to the Ministry. Someone shouted out in fright, and another wizard said, "What's going on?"

Rabastan smirked at the man. "We...just lost the war. The Dark Lord is dead. Bella is dead. And the Light has sustained heavy losses, though they are victorious."

"We're bringing prisoners through," the lead Auror said sharply. "Clear the halls."

Rodolphus was shoved into a small holding cell and sat down on the cot gratefully. It would all be over soon: there was only a little while to wait and his pain would be gone. He wouldn't feel anything anymore. Rabastan fell into the cell, landing on the floor as he hadn't cooperated with the Aurors.

"Enjoy your reprise," one said to them. "We'll be sending you out on the first boat as soon as we get the word."

Rabastan glared at the man, not replying, and the two brothers sat there in silence for some time. Rodolphus eventually sighed and lay down on the cot, curling up and closing his eyes.

"Hey, Rod?" Rabastan said, sounding cheerful. "Brighten up. Something's bound to happen."

"Are you stupid?" Rodolphus sighed without opening his eyes. "Shut up and let me sleep."

"Honest!" the younger man complained. "I think Nymphie is considering something other than Azkaban for us."

"You hope," Rodolphus muttered. "Dream on, little brother. When you wake up dead, I won't say I told you so."

Rabastan was confused into silence, and Rodolphus smirked. Sometimes his brother was just like him.

* * *

Two days later, Rodolphus and Rabastan were led into a courtroom and forced to take seats in the chained chairs. Rodolphus wondered why they were back to a trial if they were merely to be sent back to prison, but did not speak, staring down at his bound hands.

 _It would be so much easier to face if Bella were here_ , Rodolphus thought in despair. He glanced around the room and wasn't surprised to see Nymphadora standing with some of her colleagues, watching them with her arms crossed protectively in front of her. He tore his eyes away from her: she reminded him too much of Bellatrix for him to watch her. It would make him think too much.

Rabastan did the speaking for the two since Rodolphus didn't seem to be able to respond to anything the Ministry officials said. After several minutes, they left the room, Nymphadora following them, and Rabastan sighed, turning to his brother. "Did my best."

"It's fine," Rodolphus muttered, staring back down at his hands.

A long while later, four Aurors stormed into the room, grabbing the two Lestranges and leading them from the room. "Where are we going now?" Rabastan asked curiously. "Are we going home yet?"

"Ha!" said one, but none of them answered his question.

Rodolphus looked up and frowned, not recognizing where he'd been taken. A wizard stepped forward, regarding the two Death Eaters and their captors. "Sensors on these two?" the wizard said, eyebrow raised. "Don't know why that's needed if they're just going to be locked up, but all right. Follow me."

"What?" Rabastan asked as he was led forward. "Sensors?"

"To monitor your magic," the wizard said. "And a tracking device so we can always know where you are."

Rabastan looked indignant, but he was once again placed in a chair and bound. The wizard touched his wand to the man's arm, Rabastan gasping slightly. Rodolphus didn't understand until he was seated in the chair and receiving his own sensor.

Rodolphus bit his tongue as the spell twisted through his magic, leaving a foreign element in his magic. He hated it: it was one more reminder that he would never be a free man again.

Finally, the two Lestranges were led back to the courtroom and set before everyone. Nymphadora was nowhere in sight as one of the Aurors stepped forward, both Lestranges frowning at them.

"Against everything we've ever stood for," the man began, "we have decided to release Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange from Azkaban. Auror Nymphadora Tonks has spoken for them—Merlin knows why."

The Lestranges didn't speak, confused about what was happening. The Auror continued, "We've put sensors on both of you to make sure you don't do anything illegal. If you do, you will be tracked down and immediately sent to Azkaban. Any run-in with the Ministry or the Auror Office will result in immediate incarceration. Understood?"

"Yes," said Rabastan, but Rodolphus nodded numbly.

"Nymphadora is not to learn of the sensors as she is the one who spoke for you." The Auror glared at the two. "Send her in."

The two brothers watched the young witch enter the room, wondering what in Merlin's name caused the girl to want them to go free. Nymphadora looked to the lead Auror, then walked straight across the room to the two prisoners. She flicked her wrist, releasing Rabastan first, though the man turned to his brother, waiting to rise until they'd both been freed.

Nymphadora reached out toward Rodolphus, the chains rescinding into the arms of the chair. She was about to step back when Rodolphus put out his hand and caught her by the wrist, unable to stop himself. He looked up at the young witch, seeing something unusual in her eyes. "You're an angel, girl," he whispered hoarsely, and could have sworn he saw a tear in her eyes.

She straightened up, and he released her hand. "Come on," she said to them. "I'm to see you safely out of the Ministry."

The brothers got to their feet and followed her quickly, every Auror in the place glaring at them. The Lestranges exchanged glances, but did not speak. Once out of the building, the witch turned to them and sighed. "Look: be good out there," she said. "Don't get locked up again. It was difficult to secure your release." She dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out two wands.

Rabastan and Rodolphus automatically caught their wands as Nymphadora tossed them to them. "Why would you do this?" Rabastan asked her, shaking his head. "You're insane."

"I don't know," Nymphadora sighed. "Look: just be careful. I don't want to regret this, though I already might. Now get out of here before they change their minds."

Rabastan grasped his brother's arm and disapparated. As soon as they appeared on the walk to the gates of Malfoy Manor, Rabastan laughed madly. "I can't believe this."

Rodolphus looked up at his brother. "If you ruin this, I will not be pleased. This is a great gift."

"That niece of yours is crazy," Rabastan said. "However, she has proven useful. Now. Let's see if they've changed the wards here."

The two brothers started up the walk together, each thinking quietly of their new freedom.


	35. Chapter 35: Rescued

**I'm finally getting back into the swing of writing...been under a lot of work/family/life stress the last month or two. I hope you enjoy this. Getting the next NYF chapter together soon. :)**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Rodolphus stepped in front of his brother, reaching out his hand to feel the wards of Malfoy Manor. "Damn," he said. "The wards fell with the Dark Lord, I'll bet. They're completely different. We'll have to knock."

The brothers sounded the doorknocker, hearing the chimes ring far off in the mansion. Several minutes later—much longer than they were accustomed to waiting—the door opened and the three Malfoys stood there before them. "Lestrange," said Lucius, glowering at them.

"Lucius," Rodolphus said quietly, sensing something was different between their families.

"We've heard about what happened," Draco frowned at the two men. "Why have you come here?"

"You will find no welcome here," Lucius told the brothers. "We want nothing more to do with you."

Rabastan rolled his eyes. "Isn't that brilliant," he said. "Lucius still doesn't want our company."

Rodolphus couldn't help smirking. "Never did," he agreed.

"You should leave," Draco said.

"Ha!" Rabastan laughed, eyeing the young Malfoy in slight surprise and disdain. "You talk big for one hiding behind a gate."

"Shut up, Rab," Rodolphus sighed. "I don't know how I survived this war with you _and_ Bella at my side."

Rabastan chuckled, and Lucius interrupted their musings. "Leave. I do not wish to see either of you around here again."

Rodolphus grabbed his brother and marched him away, Rabastan sputtering in disbelief. "You're not going to do anything?"

"Anything?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow. "What should I do? Attempt to hurt my sister-in-law and her family? Bella would come straight back from the dead and kill me. No. Not willing to risk that."

"Are you...joking?" Rabastan said uncertainly. Rodolphus laughed bitterly.

"I wish I weren't," Rodolphus replied. "I could use a good beating."

"You are insane," Rabastan told his brother, shaking his head. The two reached the end of the driveway and he asked, "Where do we go now?"

"I—I don't know," Rodolphus muttered. "Let's check out our home, first. See if it's still Muggle-free."

Rabastan laughed at the memory of driving Muggles from the Lestrange Mansion as the two disapparated to their childhood home. Both approached silently, Rodolphus closing his eyes for a moment before waving the front doors open and walking beneath the Lestrange crest over the entrance.

Rodolphus ignored the greetings of his portrait ancestors as he and his brother walked down the hall, Rodolphus opening the door to the library. He froze immediately as he was hit with memory after memory of conversations with his father, his mother—he had never said goodbye to his mother.

"This...is no good," Rabastan sighed. "This is just as bad as Azkaban."

"Well," Rodolphus began with a shudder, "if we just remember the good times—"

"Do you still have the capability to do that?" Rabastan scoffed. "And don't be philosophical: it doesn't suit you."

Rodolphus glared at the younger man. "I hate it when you make things worse. _Shut up_."

Rabastan glared right back at his brother. "Fine!" he snapped, and stormed out of the room without another word.

With a deep sigh, Rodolphus sat down in a chair near the cold fireplace. Too many things were racing through his mind for him to begin to think of what he needed to do now that they had to stay in their own home. Rodolphus looked up, remembering times that Bellatrix had cornered him in the library, and the two had shared intimate moments together. He struggled to shake off the memories, but as he moved across the library, they wouldn't stop.

Rodolphus escaped the room, trembling, and hurried down the hall. He turned away from his father's office, knowing better than to enter it—too many connections it had to his calm past. There was no calm now. There were no friends, no allies. No Bellatrix.

Rodolphus dragged himself down the hall to his old room, and the instant he walked through the door, he gasped in pain. He remembered opening the door to Bellatrix the night they'd gone to get the Dark Mark. He knew of the first time Bellatrix Black Lestrange had walked into their room. Rodolphus remembered the things that they had done and said to each other the whole time they were married.

Locking the doors, Rodolphus curled up on the bed and wrapped a blanket around himself. He felt empty and alone, feeling once again the sharp agony of loss. His emotion ran so deep that he groaned with the feeling, and yet, nothing could soothe him. "Bella," he whispered. "I'm sorry." A single tear ran down his face as he closed his eyes, wanting to get away from it all. It was all over.

* * *

Both brothers halted, looking awkward as they met at the entrance to the kitchens the next morning. "I...can't live here," Rabastan said awkwardly. "It...doesn't feel right."

Rodolphus nodded with understanding. "We should go to one of our vacation homes," he said. "We'll be more able to settle down there. It'll be less...difficult."

"Less burnt into our minds," Rabastan sighed, entering the kitchen before his brother. "Food first!"

"Of course," Rodolphus shook his head and followed the younger Lestrange.

Both men were surprised and pleased to find several of their old house elves still remaining in the house, Rabastan immediately putting them to work. Rodolphus couldn't help smiling as he sat down next to his brother at the table. Rabastan glanced at the kitchen door. "Do you think Mum and Dad ever found out that I used to sneak down here all the time?" he asked. "Ever since I was four. I got tired of being sent to bed hungry."

Rodolphus sniggered. "I knew you did, though I'd never have told. I don't know about Father, but Mum probably had some idea."

"I hope Dad never knew half the stuff I did," Rabastan chuckled. "He'd certainly have Cursed me something awful."

"Mum really did keep a lot of things from him, you know," Rodolphus said thoughtfully. "We owe her a lot."

Rabastan nodded, then said, "Why don't we go to...to their graves this afternoon?"

Rodolphus frowned, then agreed. "Why didn't we go there before?"

"Too dangerous," Rabastan muttered. "And we were never outside Malfoy Manor except for raids and missions."

"True." Rodolphus focused on finishing his breakfast, suddenly wanting to visit his parents' graves more than ever.

A little while later, the two brothers left the house, disapparating to the family cemetery. With blood from Rab's hand, the two were granted entrance and walked silently through the tombstones of their ancestors. "There," Rabastan said, stopping and pointing. Twin marble stones marked the place where their parents were buried. _Desmond and Meira Lestrange_. Rodolphus breathed the words, almost able to feel his mother's arm around him, her warm smile, her gentle reassurance. Her love.

He turned away from the stones, but saw his brother's expression and realised that Rabastan was no less effected. Drawing his wand, Rodolphus conjured a small bunch of blue and white roses, his mother's favourite. He set them on her gravestone, whispering, "I wish I could tell you in person, Mum, but I love you. You deserve so much more than these simple flowers. I'm sorry too, about ruining everything you worked so hard for. I'm a terrible son."

Rabastan glanced up at his brother. "What? You were great! I was the rebel!"

"No..." Rodolphus sighed. "Mum once told me that she hadn't wanted any children at one point in her life, though our father changed her mind. She was pleading with me not to let her efforts go to waste. And therefore, I am a terrible son."

"We're both terrible," Rabastan agreed. "But there's no reason we shouldn't be able to find ourselves mothers for our children."

Rodolphus hissed angrily. "No! Perhaps you are young and wish such things, but I cannot so easily shake off the past! We are both convicted Death Eaters, vile in the eyes of the public. Any witch that would be willing to agree to your ideas would have all the wrong ideas of what we want. There isn't anything we can do, Rabastan. Not anything that we should do right now."

Rabastan shrugged. "I bet I can still find myself a witch. I had a girlfriend once."

"You had twenty," Rodolphus snorted. "Couldn't decide which one was best?"

"Oh shut up," Rabastan rolled his eyes. "My first choice wouldn't have me, and my second choice got snatched up before I could even try to get a marriage contract. I just didn't bother to think that far after that."

"Merlin," Rodolphus sighed. "It's a wonder you _don't_ have children."

Rabastan burst out laughing, and Rodolphus did too after a moment. "Good one," Rab said finally. "But no such luck."

The brothers walked together out of the cemetery, deciding to walk a little way together. They kept their hoods up, but unfortunately, they were too well known for their own good. Both were halted by a sharp yell of " _Lestrange!_ "

A spell flew past the two, and Rabastan shouted in annoyance, turning to greet their attacker. "Rabastan, don't!" Rodolphus yelled out, deflecting his brother's spell. He jumped in front of his brother, shielding several spells before grabbing Rabastan by the arm and disapparating.

They appeared outside one of their old vacation homes, Rodolphus' wand ready if anyone dared to follow them. "Rab, you can't," Rodolphus hissed. "You know that we're being watched, that our magic is monitored. I won't risk being sent back to Azkaban!"

"I don't like any of this," Rabastan growled. "I'd rather have just died!"

"Be my guest," Rodolphus snapped. "We have to keep each other from that, Rabastan. We've been given another chance, and we should make the most of it."

"Come on," Rabastan muttered. "Let's get inside. I feel threatened."

Rodolphus looked around uncomfortably and led the way into the house.

* * *

It wasn't until the brothers were attacked for the fourth time that Rodolphus realised they were truly in danger from wizarding society. "Why be _free_ if we'll be always _hunted_?" complained Rabastan as he parried spells from the others as he and Rodolphus backed away from them.

For a few moments, Rodolphus thought that they could get away, but suddenly, one of the spells crumbled Rabastan's shield spell, slicing his wand arm wide open and making him collapse to his knees. Rodolphus yelled out in fury and retaliated with the most painful legal spell he knew. He took on the others, wanting to protect his brother.

There was a sound of apparition, and Rodolphus hoped for an instant that their attackers were leaving, but it wasn't to be. The sound of a witch's voice broke through the startled silence. "Bothering my family?" the newcomer hissed, her black eyes flashing with fury. "Come for a little...fun?"

Rodolphus couldn't believe his eyes, seeing his own wife standing there between him and his brother, deflecting spells and _protecting_ them from their enemies. Two of the opposition disapparated in fear, and Rabastan looked up from kneeling on the ground, staring in shock at the witch.

One of the attackers stammered, "B-b-b-but, you're dead!"

"No one told _me_ that," the black-haired witch smirked at them. "And I happen to be walking around—and breathing, which is more than can be said for some—especially those who cross me."

"Dementors take you," spat the one beside the man who'd told Bella she was dead, "Suck out your soul, and freeze your non-existent heart—"

Rodolphus cursed the man without a second thought, infuriated that anyone would dare say such things to _his_ Bellatrix. He chuckled darkly when she purred, "I would so like to play with you…."

Rabastan laughed tiredly, his voice laced with pain as he clutched his deeply wounded arm. Bellatrix didn't turn from their enemies until they were all gone, two or three of them injured. Rodolphus stepped forward and caught her by the arms, staring into her startled brown eyes. "How dare they," he breathed in a lethal voice. "I would never let them hurt you."

"Rodolphus, I'm not Bellatrix," came the witch's reply. "I'm Nymphadora...I came to stop them from hurting you…."

She looked a little frightened and hurt when he dropped her hands as if she'd burned him. "I'm sorry, Bella," he whispered, the lost look returning to his eyes as he forced himself to turn away. Bellatrix was gone: he remembered now. He didn't look back at her until she'd gone over to Rabastan, checking his injury.

"I won't go to St. Mungo's," Rabastan gasped, looking up at the young witch stubbornly. "Ever."

"I—I've got to get you to Mum," said Nymphadora. "She can heal you. St. Mungo's healers have been rather prejudiced about treating injured Death Eaters, I must say. They'd let them die rather than treat them properly. So much for their oaths to sustain life and all that." She looked up at Rodolphus, who was watching her very closely. "Come here," she said to him. "There are Aurors coming, and you need to be near me in case something goes wrong."

"Tonks—" began one of the approaching Aurors, but his buddy cut him off. "Tonks, what are you doing?"

"Rabastan is injured, and I have to take him for treatment," she replied, frowning up at the other Aurors before turning back to the older Lestrange. "Rodolphus, please tell me that you didn't seriously injure those people?" she asked him.

"They'll live," Rodolphus answered. "Without scars. But the last one I cursed—he'll need to be carefully watched: he might accidentally injure himself."

The Aurors looked at each other awkwardly, and Rodolphus smirked inwardly. "Okay," Nymphadora sighed. "Last thing. Hopefully, it works." She jumped up and stalked over to the one that had hurt Rabastan. " **Enervate**."

He opened his eyes—and screamed in terror at the sight of the witch standing over him. "Oh, do shut up," she sneered at him, and Rodolphus smirked as he watched her, so like Bellatrix. "I didn't even Curse you. I have to tell you that all of your buddies that came out to play are gone. Well, except for the other unconscious one. Get up." She prodded him with the toe of her boot.

He jumped to his feet, seeming to gasp for breath. "Please," he began in a whisper, holding out a hand to her.

"Silence," she hissed. "Listen very closely. You will leave my husband and his brother alone. You will not in any way antagonize them to cause trouble for them with the Ministry. You will tell those who are of your own mind set the same. I am not a tolerant witch, and certainly, the World knows that. Now, _filth_ ," she added for good measure, "take your friend and be gone!"

He stood, frozen on the spot for a moment, before half-staggering over to the other one Rodolphus had cursed and disapparating with him. Rodolphus was staring at the witch in shock at her words: _my husband and his brother_. How could she pretend to be Bella? Rodolphus was almost angry, but as he looked over at the girl, now by Rabastan's side once more, he could hardly be angry for her help.

Nymphadora dropped to her knees beside the younger man, placing her hand on his neck. "Come," she said to Rodolphus. "I'll apparate both of you." Rodolphus' eyes darkened before he walked over and took her offered hand, seeing the pain-glazed look in his brother's eyes.

"Tonks, are you sure this is wise?" asked one of the Aurors.

"Don't know," she replied. "Got to do something, though. Although I might get myself sacked. That wouldn't be cool." _Crack_! they disapparated.


	36. Chapter 36: Discovery

**I was excited to write this chapter, and I DEFINITELY can't wait for the next one. :D**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

The three were greeted by a shriek of shock, and Rodolphus jumped in front of Bellatrix, his wand raised. "You won't hurt her," he growled at the brown-haired witch.

The younger witch put her hand on Rodolphus' arm and said, "It's just me, Mum. It's okay. Rabastan's been injured by one of the Death Eater trolls."

The younger man looked up at them from the floor where he'd collapsed, still clutching his badly bleeding arm. The witch looked down at him and frowned, reaching forward her wand. "I'll have to take care of him upstairs," she said, levitating the injured man from the room.

Nymphadora hurried after her mother and Rodolphus glared after her, annoyed that the witch wouldn't return to her own form and still looked like Bellatrix. He reluctantly followed, supposing he had to make sure they didn't harm his brother.

They lay Rabastan on a bed upstairs and Andromeda went straight to working on his arm, sending Nymphadora after some sort of healing plant. After some minutes, the young woman was back, handing the plant to her mother and watching earnestly.

Frowning, Rodolphus backed out of the room silently, slipping down the hall and looking around for a way out of the house. They would not hurt Rabastan, but Rodolphus could not stay: the two witches made him angry and he could not risk striking out at them. He had to make sure he didn't send himself back to Azkaban.

He had just seen the stairs when he sensed something, another presence in the house, and turned toward the door he'd just passed. He found the door easy to open and looked inside, starting in shock as he saw the body that Nymphadora had been crying over at the battle. Rodolphus immediately knew that the girl was fatally unaware of what she had in her home, and wondered if he should warn her. After all, it was Rabastan's fault that the girl had got the idea in the first place.

Just on time, Rodolphus heard the girl walking down the hallway and drew his wand, waiting for her. As she walked by the door, he stepped out behind her and wrapped his arm around her, pressing his wand into her neck. "Come with me and make no noise," he said coldly.

The young witch went rigid, struggling against him, but he forced her back into the room, and her eyes widened in fear as she realised where she was. She stumbled slightly, trying to escape him, but he grabbed her and held her firmly by the arms. "You didn't burn the body," he breathed in her ear, his arm warm around her back. "What are you planning to do with it? Kill the werewolf when it comes around? Do you know, you can get quite a bit of money in Knockturn with a werewolf pelt."

"No!" Nymphadora yelled, fighting him as tears sprang to her eyes. "I would never do that to him! Never!"

He shook her as if he would make her understand what she was doing. "Don't you dare cry, Nymphadora! What are you planning?" he glared at her. "I knew Rabastan shouldn't have told you, but he wasn't thinking properly at the time."

"I—I just wanted to see him living again," she faltered, looking down. "I—I still need him."

"Having a living werewolf in your home will not heal your loss!" Rodolphus said in exasperation. He would never do such a thing, not even in his mad grief over Bellatrix.

"Why do you care?" she demanded. "Just leave me alone. It's _my_ life."

"You gave me and my brother a chance to live again," Rodolphus hissed. "To move on. And Merlin knows, you should too. The werewolf is holding you back! Just let him go!"

The young witch sniffed a little, not wanting to speak. "What if he bites you?" he asked her, so softly that she could barely hear him. "Nymphadora Tonks, the Auror-werewolf Metamorphagus! Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing to read in the _Daily Prophet_!"

"He wouldn't hurt me!" Nymphadora cried, and Rodolphus laughed at her, seeing tears finally begin to trickle down her face.

"The wolf would," Rodolphus said coldly. "There is no way it wouldn't, especially transforming the final time. That's always the worst transformation, especially since there's no way to tame the beast. He will rip your tender body apart, and leave your brat an orphan."

"Shut up!" she screamed in horror, fighting against him, and he knew that he'd made his point.

"You would make him _suffer_ ," Rodolphus said softly, allowing the trembling witch to pull away from him. "Are you really so different from the one you resemble at the moment?"

She stared at him in disbelief, a small gasp escaping her. He turned and walked toward the door of the room. "I'll be in the sitting room," he called over his shoulder as he walked away down the hall.

Rodolphus wondered if she would do what was necessary to protect herself and her family from the creature she'd married, or if he would need to go destroy it later. He frowned to himself, thinking that she would probably strengthen the wards on the room so that he couldn't enter.

A few moments later, Nymphadora and her mother came down the stairs together, the younger witch leaving once again to return to the Ministry. "You're going to get sacked for skiving off your Death Eater catching," Rodolphus smirked at her.

"I'm going to get thrown in Azkaban for turning into Aunt Bellatrix and protecting _you_ ," she snapped. "Especially because there were _three_ witnesses!" She ran out and slammed the door, making the windows rattle.

"Rodolphus," the witch standing at the foot of the stairs sighed. "I forgot how difficult you can be."

"Andromeda," Rodolphus said simply. "Still as charming as ever."

The blood-traitor Black glared at him, and he grinned innocently. "You are welcome to rest if you wish," she said. "The room across from your brother's is prepared for you. If you get hungry, we'll be having dinner when Nymphadora returns from work. And don't antagonize her, Lestrange."

Rodolphus smirked, glancing down at his wand in his hand. "She's like Bella. Surely you see that in her, Andromeda."

The witch hissed angrily. "Do not encourage her down the paths Bellatrix chose," she snapped at him. "She has always been one step away from going Dark, but her father and I have managed to keep her from it."

"Ah, yes, the Mudblood," Rodolphus mused, seeing anger in the witch's eyes. He loved playing with them like this. "Tell me, Andromeda, was Nymphadora a love child, or an accident?"

"I hate you," Andromeda breathed in fury, then turned and left him alone in the sitting room.

"Well, sometimes I wonder," Rodolphus smirked to himself, before leaning back against the couch. He held his wand in his hand as he relaxed, finding himself to be sleepy. He sighed, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to drift off into a light sleep, ready to wake and run at any moment.

* * *

It seemed only a few moments later that he heard someone enter the house and allowed his eyes to open slightly. Nymphadora walked into the room, stopped, then approached him cautiously. He continued to pretend to sleep, wondering what she was going to do.

He nearly yelled in shock when something touched his forehead, realising that she was tickling him with a feather. He forced his magic to remain still, his face at ease as if he were sleeping. Rodolphus was nearly at the end of his patience when he heard someone else enter the room.

"Nymphadora, what are you doing?!" hissed Andromeda. "Don't do that! What if he hurt you?"

"For tickling him?" Dora scoffed, and Andromeda suddenly summoned the feather quill.

"For disturbing his rest and annoying him in general," Andromeda sighed. "Come with me. Now."

"Didn't you tell him to sleep in one of the guest rooms?" the younger witch asked, and Andromeda said no. "Fine, then I will. I'll be right there, Mum."

Footsteps left the room, and the black-haired witch cautiously approached the sleeping man. He felt her standing before him, could smell her soft scent as she leaned over him. As she touched him shoulder and softly called his name, he opened his eyes and immediately jabbed his wand into her neck.

Her eyes widened, and he murmured, "Don't you know it's one of the rudest things you can do to wake a sleeping individual, Bella?"

"I'm not Bella," said the witch, frowning, and Rodolphus settled back on the couch, his dark eyes staring into hers.

"You look like her," he said firmly.

"Don't!" she hissed, her face flushing as he reached out and touched her face gently. "I am not _her_!"

Rodolphus stared straight into her eyes, then allowed himself to look over her body. "Perhaps you should say what you want to say and go talk to your mother, little Nymphie."

Nymphadora bristled with anger, and she spat, "I only wanted to tell you that you could rest in one of the guest rooms instead of on the couch if you wished." She practically ran from the room without waiting for a reply.

Rodolphus watched her go, almost feeling remorseful for upsetting her, though he delighted far too much in seeing her eyes flash with anger. She was so much like Bella...Rodolphus took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus on staying calm. He would not be persuaded to settle for filth. He would not.

Rodolphus moved to lie down on the couch, still clutching his wand. He could not sleep, however, and moments later, he heard Nymphadora walk softly back into the room. He let a few seconds pass, then opened his eyes and focused on her. "I'm not asleep, you know. For shame, Nymphadora. Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's improper to watch a man sleep?"

"You're not asleep," she snapped at him, her face and ears turning red. "You just said so." She turned her back on him and walked out of the room.

Rodolphus watched her leave, smirking, then relaxed back into the couch once again. He was asleep before Andromeda came back through the sitting room.

* * *

Early the next morning, Rodolphus went to check on his injured brother, silently entering the room and finding his brother half awake, sitting up in the bed. "Rabastan," Rodolphus sighed thankfully. "You're better?"

"Better," Rabastan nodded sleepily. "Andromeda woke me up, coming to check on me this morning. Merlin knows how early she was up this morning."

"I don't care about her," Rodolphus said shortly. "I want to know if you're well enough to leave this place."

Rabastan looked shocked and disappointed. "Why?" he complained. "They're not terrible, in spite of their blood and history."

Rodolphus glanced toward the door, then murmured, "Nymphadora's dead werewolf husband is here. I found the body in one of the rooms."

The younger Lestrange choked, staring at his brother. "She'll get herself killed," he said in shock. "Is she mad?"

"Well, it's your fault," Rodolphus told him, and Rabastan gave a crazed laugh.

"If she's stupid enough to try it, then she deserves to die," Rabastan shrugged. "Though why she wants to keep a werewolf around the house—or that she ever wanted him—is beyond me."

"We've got to get out of here," Rodolphus said sharply.

Rabastan frowned. "I can't leave yet: my arm isn't healed all the way, and Andromeda says—"

Rodolphus glared at his brother. "Since when did you obey the voice of a woman?"

"Since she warded my room against my escape!" Rabastan complained. "It isn't my fault—well, it kind of is. I told her half jokingly that I was going to leave in the middle of the night and take Dora with me, and she warded my room before knocking me out."

"Don't mess with Andromeda," Rodolphus told his brother. "She's...dangerous. I just know there's something in her ready to snap and curse us all. I can feel it when she looks at us. I don't know what it is…."

"Reason two why you want to leave?" Rabastan smirked. "Personally, I think Andromeda could be fun."

Rodolphus snorted in derision. "Try it, I dare you," he said. "She will hurt you."

Rabastan shrugged. "Never seemed to bother you."

The older man stared at his brother in surprise, then glared at him. "Well, suffer then, if you so choose." He turned and left the room, thoroughly annoyed at the stupidity of his brother and equally at the stupidity of Nymphadora.

He made his way down the stairs, only to hear the girl talking to herself. "He's practically saying that I cracked during war!" she growled angrily. "And now I'm gonna go around torturing and killing people! Oh, wouldn't that be fun! I could have started with Reanne yesterday!" There was a small pause, and then she added, "Oh, you're finally awake, aren't you, love?"

"You talking to me?" Rodolphus said incredulously. " _Prophet_ might be right about you."

The witch threw the newspaper at him. "Quit poking your nose in my business at all the wrong times!" she spat at him, and he realised that she was holding a child in her arms. "Go away. I _definitely_ was _not_ referring to you!"

He chuckled knowingly and stepped closer to her. The young woman scooted further back in her chair and clutched her baby to her breast, reaching for her wand. "You know," he said softly as he slowly walked toward her, "doing that only makes me want to see how afraid of me I can make you. After all, how afraid can little Nymphie be of her _love_."

"You shut up!" she cried in horror as the child she was holding cried out and reached up to her.

Rodolphus looked to the child, distracted, and said thoughtfully, "You should teach him not to cry for what he wants, Nymphadora."

Nymphadora glared at him in disbelief. "When you have children," she snarled, "you can raise them the way you please. Let me raise _my_ child _my_ way."

Pain crossed the man's face, and the witch looked at him in confusion, her hand still on her wand. Rodolphus didn't know why, but sighed and looked directly into her eyes. "Do you want to know something, Nymphadora?" he asked tiredly. "I was supposed to have children. But they died—miscarriage—in Azkaban. I wanted a family; we were so close, but it never worked out." He looked away from her, his eyes flashing in fury, but dull with sorrow. "I didn't even know until thirteen years after they died," he added bitterly. "Bellatrix told me that it was a small price to pay for serving the Dark Lord."

Rodolphus shook his head to clear the feelings of anger and sorrow from his mind. "I'd hurt her before, but never like I did then. I made her scream—I made her beg. I made her promise that, if she was ever with child again, she'd do whatever she could to bring the child to life. It never happened."

Nymphadora was quiet for far too long, but Rodolphus could sense her shock and her sympathy, which he was sure he didn't want. He couldn't look at her, though, staring at a picture on the mantle. The baby made a soft cry, and Nymphadora shifted, getting to her feet and walking toward Rodolphus, who was unsettled that he'd let the witch see into his hurt and pain.

"Would—would you like to hold him?" she asked softly, and he looked to see her indicating her small brown-haired child. "He wants you to hold him."

"I couldn't," Rodolphus began, but saw the child reaching toward him and held out his hands to the child warily. Nymphadora gently laid her child in his arms and Rodolphus felt suddenly alarmed to be holding so small a human.

He stared down into the child's face, the little boy cooing softly, and Rodolphus almost dropped the child in shock when the boy's hair morphed black, his eyes darkening as well. Rodolphus held the child closer, pain coursing through him because he knew there was no chance of him ever having such a beautiful, perfect child.

He barely registered whispering an ancient spell of blessing over the child as he struggled not to show emotion in front of the baby's mother. Finally, he kissed the child's hand, then held him out to his mother. "Here," he said quietly. "Thank you."

The witch took the child from him, her hair morphing pink, though Rodolphus was sure that she wasn't aware of it. She was beautiful, he thought, with her eyes innocent but compassionate, and he forced himself to turn away.

Teddy let out another cry, and his mother giggled. "He's hungry," she said as he was walking away. "I'm going to prepare a bottle for him...do you want to come with me? I might need you to hold him for me."

Rodolphus turned back and followed her, though he wondered if he should just leave her alone. "I really didn't come down here to rant," he said after she had given him the child again. "I came to ask you if you were intent on making your late husband a werewolf permanently."

Nymphadora dropped the ceramic container she was holding and whirled to face Rodolphus. He merely looked down at Teddy, and Nymphadora drew her wand, repairing the jar she'd smashed before picking it up and turning her back to him. "Why must you insist on prying into things that are none of your business, Rodolphus?" she asked coldly.

"None of my business?" he repeated. "You saved me, Nymphadora. And you saved my brother. I don't want you to throw your life away. I told you before: Lupin didn't embrace his werewolf form, and you would force it on him eternally. You're also planning to stay with him when he transforms tomorrow night—yes, I know about this," he said sharply as he raised his head to look at her. "You'll possibly get mauled to death, or bitten and become a werewolf yourself, or—you can't do this, Nymphadora. What about the child? Are you just going to walk away and leave your son? 'A small price to pay for being with Lupin forever,' huh?"

"Stop," choked the witch. "Please, Rodolphus."

"What do I have to say?" he asked pleadingly. "What do I have to do to get you to change your mind?"

She whirled to face him squarely. "There is nothing you can do or say," she said, her face pale. "Are you going to feed Teddy, or shall I?"

Nymphadora took the child from him, and he watched her and Teddy, dreading the very near future. "So I just have to wait and see if you survive? I hope I won't have to explain your gruesome death to your mother, Nymphadora."

Her body jerked, and she looked up at him, biting her lip to keep back her tears. "Rodolphus," she whispered, and he felt strangely guilty hearing her almost cry his name. "Sometimes there are just things that we have to do, and this is one of those times. I'm sorry."

"Fine," he said coldly, glancing at the child in her arms once more. "Good luck." He turned and walked deliberately out of the room. Rodolphus was surprised to find himself trembling slightly, and quickly went to his brother's room to keep him company since Rabastan couldn't leave the room.

* * *

The next evening, as Nymphadora said goodbye to her mother and Teddy, Rodolphus was listening from the upper hallway. As soon as Andromeda left, Nymphadora hurried for the stairs, and Rodolphus quickly ducked back into the doorway of his room. She was moving down the hall toward the room where her dead husband lay.

Rodolphus hurried after her, but she jumped in shock as he called, "Nymphadora, don't do it!"

She fled from him, yelling, "Leave me alone, Rodolphus! And don't call me Nymphadora!"

"Please!" he called to her earnestly. "Dora, you're so young! You have a long life ahead of you. Please don't throw it away like this."

She did not turn or reply, and he drew his wand, knowing he must stop her. _Imperio. Stay where you are._ She stopped, and he walked toward her cautiously, hoping that he could grab her and hold her when he took the spell off. "It's all right, Dora," he said softly, wanting to reassure her. "You'll be fine. Just let me help you.

A cry escaped her as she broke through the hold his Imperius had on her, and the witch ran away from him down the hall, crying out as he cursed in his anger and ran after her. She darted through the door and slammed it behind her, his hand missing her by a foot. He roared in anger as he felt her magic crackle, a ward going up over the room. "Dora," he called through the door, both hands against the wood. "Remember what I told you in front of Rabastan last night. _Imperio_ will work on the werewolf if you need it."

There was no answer, and Rodolphus leaned his head against the door for a moment. If she died, he had failed in everything. Andromeda would throw them out, might even kill them. "Dora," he groaned softly, then dragged himself away from the room, knowing there was nothing more he could do.


	37. Chapter 37: First, a Protector

**I was really looking forward to writing this chapter, and I can hardly wait for the next as well.**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Rodolphus could not sleep, waiting throughout the night of the full moon. As soon as he was sure that the sun had risen, he hurried from his room straight to where he knew Nymphadora and the werewolf would be. He reached out to the door, feeling for the wards, but there weren't any. Rodolphus chilled in terror and raised his wand, ready to guard against the beast he assumed would still be inside the room.

When he opened the door, he heard no sound, and cautiously pushed the door open, his wand raised. The first thing he saw was Nymphadora's motionless body lying on the floor, her robes torn and bloody, her hair matted. He wanted to run to her side, but scanned the room for the werewolf, finding it lying in the corner, badly wounded. "She must have done a number on you," Rodolphus muttered, casting a ward to keep the werewolf in the corner.

Waving the door shut, he rushed forward to the young witch, touching her arm and breathing, "Nymphadora, don't be dead. Please." He stroked her hair out of her face, then took her hand in his, realising she had a deep gash in her arm. Cursing werewolves, Rodolphus reached for her neck to see if he could find a pulse, pulling his hand back at the feeling of warm, sticky blood. Alarmed, Rodolphus pushed her whitish-grey hair away from her neck and shoulder and cried out in horror.

"Dora, no!" The man stared down at the clear bite mark on her shoulder. "Not you!"

"Rod—" the girl move the tiniest bit, cutting off her words as she groaned in pain.

"You're alive," he breathed in disbelief, and she laughed before crying out again.

"It hurts," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut as she tensed against the pain.

He frowned at the injured witch. "Were you a werewolf all night?"

Nymphadora drew a sharp breath, gasping, "I—I think so. Mostly." Tears began to trickle down her blood-stained face, the girl breathing shallowly, trying to escape the pain.

"We have to get you to St. Mungo's," Rodolphus said firmly. "If we get you there in time, you won't retain lycanthropy."

"No," Dora choked. "It hurts too much."

"It'll hurt you a lot more if you have to go through this every full moon," he snapped at her, and she let her head rest on the ground again, a sob escaping her. Rodolphus scowled as he watched her cry, wishing he could have prevented it all. He knew that she'd suffer even more before she would be all right, and clenched his fist, glancing at the other werewolf angrily.

Nymphadora struggled to hold back her sobs, raising her head from the floor and sniffing, "Would—would you help me get up?"

Rodolphus sighed and moved closer to her. "Where all are you injured?" he asked.

"Everywhere," Nymphadora said, then cracked a painful smile. "Actually, my side, my shoulder, bite on my other shoulder, wound on my arm—my entire body feels like it was torn apart, then pieced back together."

"I don't know what Lupin has told you, but that's what happens during a transformation," Rodolphus said wryly. He slid his arm beneath her back and helped her sit up carefully, supporting her reassuringly in her attempts. She bent her knees to get her feet under her and winced at the pain in her joints.

"Now stand as I help you," he told her. He tightened his arm beneath her and began to lift her up, holding her close enough that she wouldn't fall if she couldn't stand. She gasped and grabbed his other arm to steady herself, despite the pain it caused in her shoulder. The witch managed to get upright, but the instant she tried to move, she fell against Rodolphus, jostling her wounds and crying out in agony as she clung to him.

Rodolphus was shocked at the smell of blood on her as he supported her carefully, her face buried in his robe as she gasped with pain, tears trickling down her face. She seemed so small, so helpless, and he couldn't help rubbing her back gently, trying to help her calm down. "Come on," he murmured. "We need to go downstairs."

A harsh rattling sound interrupted them, and they turned to see the werewolf in the corner, struggling to breath. Rodolphus tightened his grip on his wand, Nymphadora holding to him to remain standing. "Remus…" she breathed in horror. "Rodolphus, can you help him?"

"He's dying," Rodolphus said emotionlessly. "There's nothing to be done." He felt the witch flinch, and pulled her further away from the werewolf so she couldn't do anything to it.

"No!" cried the girl, her body shaking as she began to weep again. "I—I killed him!" she sobbed as she turned and hid her face in Rodolphus' shoulder. "I'm sorry!"

"He was already gone," Rodolphus said softly into her ear. "This was just the werewolf part."

Nymphadora sobbed again, glancing at the creature that was struggling to draw breath. "Remus," she choked as Rodolphus drew her backward, toward the door. "I'm sorry that I did this to you! I didn't know it would turn out like this!"

The werewolf raised its head to look at her, giving a soft growl, his eyes filled with pain. Nymphadora glanced toward it, shaking as tears streamed down her face. The battered, tired creature laid its head on its paws, and its body shuddered before it lay completely still in death.

"Remus!" the witch sobbed in anguish. "Remus!"

Rodolphus raised his wand, pointing it at the body, and she reached out to stop him, crying out, but he turned her away so she couldn't reach. " **Incendio**!" he said firmly, watching as the fire from his wand burned up the werewolf.

Nymphadora let out a howl of sorrow, clenching her fists tightly. Rodolphus took a deep breath, then said, "Come on, Dora. You've lost a lot of blood. We need to get you to St. Mungo's as soon as possible."

She clenched her teeth, struggling to hush her sobs as he tried to help her from the room without hurting her even more. Rodolphus did not speak as they slowly made their way down the hall, the man carefully supporting Nymphadora down the stairs. Once they'd reached the first floor, he steadied her with his hands, getting ready to walk to the front door to leave.

The door to the kitchen burst open and Andromeda came flying out of the room, wand at the ready. "What the—" she yelled at Rodolphus "have you done to my daughter?!"

Nymphadora jumped in shock, crying out in pain as she disturbed her wounds. "Mum," she gasped. "I—I was being stupid and got—mauled by a werewolf."

"She's been bitten," Rodolphus interrupted. "We're on the way to St. Mungo's."

"Bit—what?" Andromeda stared at her daughter in shock. "You're a werewolf?"

Rodolphus was surprised at the disgust he sensed in Andromeda and wondered if the witch's daughter could feel it as well. The girl looked down, a tear dripping down her pale cheek.

"Yes," she whispered. "I was. All night." She squeezed her eyes shut, more tears running down her face.

Rodolphus gently rubbed her back again, and she leaned into him slightly, her tears dripping onto the front of his robe. "We'll be going now," he told Andromeda firmly, then led Nymphadora toward the door.

Dora turned to look back at her mother, holding out her hand. "Come with me, Mum. Please," she sniffed. "They'll take it badly, seeing Rodolphus with me like this."

"Ah—all right," Andromeda sighed. "Just give me a quick second to secure Teddy. I'll be right back."

Rodolphus rolled his eyes as she hurried away up the stairs, holding Dora carefully as he helped her out the front door to the edge of the wards. Much too long later, Andromeda strode out the front door, joining them, and Rodolphus held out his hand to her, receiving a fierce glare. "It would be better if we all arrived together," he said pointedly. "Let's go, Andromeda."

The witch growled at him, slapping her hand into his, and he disapparated immediately. As soon as they appeared, Rodolphus grabbed Nymphadora, cradling her in his arms as she cried out, shuddering in pain of the apparition.

Healers had spotted them, and were coming toward them, wands raised, anger in their eyes. Andromeda drew her wand and stepped in front of the two, Rodolphus staring as she glared at the approaching wizards. "Stand down," she called out to them in a strong voice, her dark eyes flashing. "He is with us."

"We see that," one said. "But why?"

"My daughter was injured," Andromeda said sharply. "He found her, helped her. She needs assistance. I will vouch for the man, and anyone who dares lift their wand against him right now answers to _me_."

The Healers frowned, then nodded reluctantly, hurrying forward to take Nymphadora from the Death Eater's grasp. Rodolphus stepped back as they levitated Nymphadora toward the doors, grateful as Andromeda motioned him to following, silencing protest from two of the Healers.

He was about to follow them into the room to which they'd taken the injured witch when the superior Healer told him that since he was not family, he must wait outside during the initial scans and procedures. Rodolphus did not protest, standing silently against the wall outside the room as Andromeda nodded to him, then entered the room.

Rodolphus waited for several long minutes, many of the people and Healers around staring at him unashamedly. He smirked at one young witch who screamed upon seeing him and ran away down the hall. Chuckling to himself about the effect he still had on the Wizarding public, Rodolphus leaned back against the wall and sighed happily.

He was still waiting peacefully when the door to Nymphadora's room opened, and Andromeda motioned him to join them. Rodolphus obeyed instantly, glad to leave everyone outside to their own thoughts and problems. He hurried into the room, stopping when he saw Nymphadora lying silently in the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Dora," he sighed, but she didn't look at him.

"Rodolphus," she said, closing her eyes and clenching her fist. He went to her side immediately, and she continued, "They didn't want you to be here since—well, they took off my robe—"

Before Rodolphus could even think of what she'd said, Andromeda yelped in shock. "Nymphadora! Have I not taught you any better than to make crude jokes?!"

Rodolphus couldn't help grinning, though he returned to his solemn expression when he looked back at Andromeda. He didn't dare look at the witch lying in the bed, his imagination activated by the girl's words. He'd held her: he knew she was beautiful.

He chanced a glance at Nymphadora and saw her smirking at him. She giggled slightly, but when Andromeda turned to glare at them, they feigned innocence. At that moment, two Healers entered the room, one saying, "Ah, Lestrange, you're right where we need to be."

He stepped back from Nymphadora, wondering if he should just go home, when Nymphadora motioned him to her other side as the Healer began to prepare something on the table next to her bed. Rodolphus went to her side, sitting down on the bed and nodding at her.

"Ever seen a werewolf victim treated?" the second Healer asked him.

"Yes," Rodolphus said quietly. "My brother...he was attacked on two different occasions." Rodolphus looked down at Dora's hand, clenched in fright as the Healers began to work on her less critical wounds. He reached out to her and placed his hand over hers, gently encouraging her to relax.

She slowly opened her hand, and he wrapped his fingers around hers reassuringly. She looked over at him, a grateful look on her face. He gave her a tiny nod and turned his attention back to the healers, her hand small and warm in his large, rough hand.

He was afraid for her, knowing the agony that lay ahead of her. She knew nothing about the werewolf cure: he was sure of that. Once her scratches were cleansed and healed, they would be ready to start the cure.

Moments later, the healers regarded the work they'd done on the incisions, and one said, "Well, that part's finished. The incisions should heal fine, maybe one or two minor scars. They'll be tender for a while, just like the other incisions you have."

The two shared a glance and the other one spoke. "Our werewolf expert will be coming in after a few minutes," she said. "I suggest you get up and move around for a little bit, Mrs. Lupin. It'll help through this next part."

The two of them left the room and the injured witch breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed more. "I am not getting up," she announced to the ceiling, suddenly turning to look at Rodolphus when he let go of her hand.

"Yes, you are," he told her firmly. "You need to at least stretch before they start working on you again."

"Why? If it's just taking care of the bite—" Nymphadora began crossly.

"Because they always restrain the victim at this part," Rodolphus told her, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Held down, unable to rise. I suggest you get up, and perhaps go look out the window."

"No!" Dora said, fear returning to her face. "I hate being held down."

Rodolphus looked into her eyes and said, "Get up, Nymphadora. Go. Look out the window."

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" the girl snapped as she sat up straight and glared at him. Rodolphus rolled his eyes at her.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, pulling her robe down into place as she closed her eyes and swayed slightly. Rodolphus immediately stepped closer to her to be ready if she fell, and she glared at him once again. "I'm not helpless. I can stand on my own now."

Nymphadora dragged herself to her feet, groaning, "Oh, I feel so old. I'm so sore!"

Rodolphus stayed close enough to her that he could catch her, expecting her to lose her balance at any moment. It was only when she left the window and walked back toward the bed that she stumbled. He darted forward and caught her against his chest, holding her carefully. He gave her a small smirk as she looked up, and she doubled up her fist, punching him in the chest with as much strength as she could muster. He merely grunted, and she accused him, "You were just waiting around for me to fall so that you could catch me!"

"Guilty," he said with a smile. "I knew you were going to, and I didn't want you hurting yourself anymore—" He blocked another furious blow from her and added, "But you're such a stubborn witch, Nymphadora."

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" she shrieked at him as he led her back toward the bed. "Why must you insist—"

He cut her off, stopping in the middle of the room and holding her still. "Because I want to," he hissed. "It's a beautiful name. It's a lovely name. It's a _noble_ name. And I made up my mind last night that I will _not_ call you Tonks."

Nymphadora glared at him. "Then call me bitch."

"No," Rodolphus chuckled simply. "I won't." He lifted her in his arms, carrying her to the bed and laying her back down before stepping back and looking down at her. Her cheeks were flushed in embarrassment, and she appeared not to be able to morph it away, either.

The door to her room opened and three men came in, one walking right up to the bed and saying, "Mrs. Lupin? A new werewolf, I heard?"

"Yes, and I'm gonna eat you," she promised him, her eyes black.

Rodolphus grinned behind the healer's back, and Nymphadora giggled at the sight of a healer not knowing what to say for a few moments. Finally, the healer said, "Well, we're going to see if we can keep you from remaining a werewolf. This is a tricky process, and there are very important procedures to follow."

"First of all," the healer continued, "only one extra person besides the healers can be in the room with you when it takes place. Mrs. Tonks, Lestrange—chose who it will be."

"You do it," Rodolphus told Andromeda, surprised as Dora's hand crept into his again. "She's your daughter."

Andromeda didn't reply to him, but looked at her daughter. "Whom do you want to stay with you?" she asked Nymphadora.

The younger woman looked between her mother and Rodolphus, then bit her lip. "Well, don't take this wrong, Mum, but if he's had experience with this, and knows what's going to happen, then I'd rather have him."

Rodolphus was very surprised, but continued to hold the girl's hand as Andromeda told her daughter goodbye and left them with the Healers.

"I didn't expect that," the healer commented, and went on, "we'll need you to lie down, Mrs. Lupin, so we can put the restraints on."

Nymphadora's face turned pale, and she looked up at Rodolphus, worry in her eyes. "It'll be fine," he told her. "Lie down."

She shook her head, biting her lip. "No!" she cried finally. "I can't!"

"If you won't lie down on your own," the healer said calmly, "we will have to force you."

"They can't do it without your being restrained," Rodolphus told Nymphadora, his thumb caressing the back of her hand.

"Why not?" she demanded shakily, the look of a caged animal on her face.

"Because," Rodolphus said softly, wishing he could spare her from what was coming, "the pain always makes the victims thrash around violently. Lie down, Nymphadora."

She closed her eyes, tears beginning to run down her face. Rodolphus wiped them away with one hand. "Now lie down," he whispered to her, and she obeyed, a strangled sob coming from her.

The Healers stepped forward and put the restraints in place, the girl suddenly shrieking as she found herself truly bound, crying in fear. Rodolphus was shocked at how badly she reacted to the magic holding her down, the girl yelling out and struggling to get free, throwing her head back as she writhed in the restraints. "Nymphadora, listen to me," he said to her, seeing that her face was even more pale than it had been. "You have to accept this: lie still." She sobbed, her entire body tense as she became still.

"No," Dora sobbed. "No. Rodolphus, please stay with me. Please."

"I will," he promised, looking down at her with concern.

The healer went to the girl's other side and examined her bite. "We have to make sure that all the venom is out of your body," he told her, "and then we have to remove every trace of the werewolf that's been imprinted on your DNA."

Nymphadora didn't reply, her body stiff and unmoving as tears ran out of her tightly closed eyes. Rodolphus gently wiped her tears away, but she kept crying. He finally touched her hand and she looked up at him, trembling, as he took her hand in his reassuringly.

Suddenly, white-hot agony raced through her body, starting from her shoulder and spreading rapidly. She bucked against the restraints and screamed. Rodolphus flinched at the sound of her agonized scream and squeezed her hand. The searing pain raced through her again, and she let out another scream, throwing her head back, her mouth open.

Rodolphus gasped as the strength of her grip caused pain in his hand, feeling the bones in his hand separate. He bit his lip, determined not to let the pain make him let her go. His ears were ringing with the sound of her screams when one of the Healers told him (rather loudly because the man was blessed with a Deafness Charm) that he had to step back for the next part of the cure.

He disentangled his hand from the sobbing, shrieking girl and stepped back, his jaw set. Nymphadora opened her eyes for an instant, but when she saw the healers standing on either side of her, she closed them again and sobbed hard. Clenching her fists, she realized something was missing. "Rodolphus?" she whispered, opening her hand. "Rodolphus?"

In a panic, she opened her eyes and saw him standing a little way away from her, watching. A sob escaped her as she motioned him to come to her, her face streaked with tears, but he clenched his teeth and forced himself to just stand there.

The healers standing on either side of her raised their wands and Nymphadora closed her eyes, sobbing softly. Rodolphus realised what was going to happen and cringed as Nymphadora opened her mouth and screamed. "Rodolphus!" Magic inundated her: sudden, ruthless magic. It was everywhere through her, ripping, tearing, burning, cleansing.

The man gritted his teeth as she screamed his name in anguish, writhing on the bed. He knew that the spell the healers were doing would effectively cleanse her DNA of lycanthropy, and that it was an agonizingly intrusive spell. Nymphadora's screams grew louder, and Rodolphus pinched his injured hand to keep himself from going to her. He knew he must not disturb the process for her to be fully cleansed, though he had often wondered why no one had come up with a potion or spell to help with the pain of the spell. Another healer he'd met once had told him that all the normal pain remedies hid the DNA and interfered with the spell—hence the way Nymphadora was screaming at the moment.

Nymphadora continued to shriek and sob when the Healers drew back from her, releasing her from the restraints. Rodolphus moved to go to her, but was stopped by one of the Healers asking him about his hand. He briefly argued with them before allowing them to heal him before he hurried to the bed.

Nymphadora was curled on her side, shaking with sobs as she writhed in the memory of her pain. Rodolphus sighed and carefully reached down, beginning to rub the girl's back carefully. He barely heard the Healers' "We'll be watching you, Lestrange" as they left the room.

Nymphadora leaned into the massaging hand on her back, then struggled to sit up on her own, feeling a hand take hold of her other arm and began to help her. The warm, comforting hand stayed on her back, and Rodolphus guided her to lean against his chest. He wrapped his other arm around her, cradling the distraught witch close, his face in her hair.

"I'm sorry," he breathed as she cried, knowing that she was too disturbed to realise what was going on. "I should have been able to protect you from this." He knew that her mind had been affected by her fear of being enclosed, or tied down, and sighed, continuing to rub her back comfortingly.

As Rodolphus held Nymphadora, her sobs lessened until she breathed a sigh, falling asleep. Rodolphus sighed in relief, lying back on the pillows to rest and allowing the girl to lie right beside him, still holding her close. She moved closer to him, slipping her arm around him as she wriggled to get comfortable. He pressed his face into her hair, which had shifted black soon after she fell asleep, and sighed deeply. He had never felt so protective of anyone besides Rabastan and Bellatrix, and chilled slightly to think of what it might mean.


	38. Chapter 38: Then Matched

**It's been almost THREE WEEKS since I updated! :O I can't believe it's been so long! It has been because of the story Purest Black that I've been co-writing for the last few months. I'm super thrilled about the future of that story, but I've sworn to myself that I won't write another chapter of it until I updated both Scrapbook and Not Your Father, which will be next. I can't believe I've been so badly distracted.**

 **Anyway, do enjoy the chapter, and I have a good idea of how to end it, though...it's the getting there that's difficult (cwl)**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Rodolphus stirred the next morning, finding something touching his neck. As he opened his eyes drowsily, he was shocked to see Andromeda standing over him, her wand in his neck. He was going to speak, but just stared at her for a moment. "You know," he told her thoughtfully, in spite of the danger, "you would look like Bella if your hair were black. I never noticed that before."

"Get away from my daughter, Lestrange!" the witch hissed, her eyes blazing with anger.

"What?" Rodolphus muttered, looking away from Andromeda to his surroundings, immediately remembering that he was at St. Mungo's, and had stayed with Nymphadora during the werewolf cure.

It was with a slight chill that Rodolphus discovered that Nymphadora was asleep in the bed with him—her head resting against the front of his robe, her arm wrapped around him loosely in her slumber. Rodolphus drew a nervous breath at Andromeda's expression, Nymphadora's presence suddenly becoming real, flooding his senses.

"Move, now!" Andromeda demanded, her wand becoming red hot and burning his neck slightly.

"All right!" Rodolphus said sharply, and she removed her wand a little. He mentally kicked himself for not thinking of Andromeda's reaction to finding him and her daughter like she had. He slid his hands further down Nymphadora's back, sitting up slightly before turning and laying her on her side in the bed. "Shh," he murmured softly, disentangling himself from her before climbing off the bed.

He hadn't gone five steps from the bed when a spell struck him in the back and he sank to his knees, forcing himself not to yell out in pain. "What was—that—for?" he breathed, turning to glare at the witch.

Andromeda still had her wand pointing at him, a look of cold determination on her face. "If you value your soul, stay away from Nymphadora," she hissed. "Or I will make you wish you had."

Rodolphus backed away from her, wondering what the witch would do, angry that she didn't understand that he wouldn't hurt her brat. He leaned against the wall as Andromeda turned back to her daughter, reaching out and touching the girl's arm, trying to wake her up. He slid down the wall, sitting in the corner of the room as he heard Nymphadora stir from her sleep.

"Mum," the girl breathed, "I had the strangest dream...it was about Remus…."

"How did it go last night? With the cure?" Andromeda questioned.

"It hurt a lot," Nymphadora sighed. "But I feel better now, though a little sore. I don't feel any ill effects from last night." She paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you know why Rodolphus left in the middle of the cure? He just...left."

Rodolphus froze. He hadn't left: the Healers had told him to stand away from her during the last part. He started slightly when Andromeda said, "Ask him yourself" and motioned to him.

"Mother, what did you do to him?" Dora sighed, and Andromeda glanced at him again. "He looks like Sirius did whenever he had terrible flashbacks."

"Nothing," Andromeda said, then blocked Nymphadora from getting off the bed. "Don't go to him."

"You did do something," Dora said accusingly, then avoided her mother and crossed the room. "Rodolphus?"

"Stay away from me," Rodolphus said hoarsely, refusing to look at her.

She didn't listen, approaching him and resting her hand on his shoulder. "Oh—Mum, you did curse him! Don't move away," she scolded Rodolphus as he began to pull away from her. "I want to help you."

Rodolphus didn't speak, not looking up. He was sure that all he would see was Andromeda's disapproval. "Dora," he murmured, pushing her hand away once she'd lifted her mother's curse. "Go."

"No," said Nymphadora stubbornly. "I'm not letting Mother hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you since I got you freed."

"Good luck," Rodolphus said, rolling his eyes.

Andromeda sighed. "Dora, are you being released from St. Mungo's today?"

Dora frowned slightly. "I don't know," she shrugged. "Eventually."

"She is," Rodolphus volunteered. "I heard the healers talking about it last night. They have to make sure everything went all right, that all the werewolf was removed from her."

He frowned at the girl, hearing her draw a quick breath, and wondering what was wrong with her. At that moment, however, a Healer entered the room and turned to young witch. "Mrs. Lupin," he said, "the cure seems to have worked completely, and besides the healing of your scratches, you are perfectly fine."

Dora scowled at the man, taking the papers from him and going back to the bed to sit down and fill them out. Andromeda looked from her daughter to Rodolphus for a moment, then said, "When you're finished, I'll have supper waiting at home."

"Thanks, Mum," Dora grinned, catching her by surprise with a half hug.

"Yes, yes, now don't dally," Andromeda told her before giving Rodolphus a threatening look and leaving the room.

Nymphadora looked at the man for a moment, then said, "Don't make an enemy of my mother."

Rodolphus sighed. "I wasn't trying to. And I didn't leave you last night, Nymphadora. The Healers told me I couldn't stay by your side for the last part, so I had to stay away. You just didn't know because you were too panicked from the pain and restraints."

"Oh. I was hoping it wasn't because I made too much noise," she grinned.

"I'm used to that sort of noise," Rodolphus replied, looking toward the door. "And I would never purposely break a promise, Nymphadora. Many things I am, but unfaithful I am not."

Dora nodded, then glanced toward the bed. "You don't mind stepping out while I change into the robe Mum brought?"

Rodolphus left without a word, waiting for her quietly, though when she opened the door, she looked entirely different, her black hair braided sloppily and tossed over one shoulder. The girl's eyes were a mischievous brown, and her mouth was turned up in a grin as she said, "Shall we go?"

"Are we going directly to your house?" Rodolphus asked her.

"Well, no," Dora said, "but Mum shouldn't know that."

"Dora," he said, shaking his head. "She has reason to worry. I'm an evil man."

"Evil, no," Dora replied, walking by his side through the corridors of St. Mungo's. "Wicked, yes. I like wicked. After all, I did marry a werewolf in spite of everything."

Rodolphus smirked at her. "If you liked wicked, you should have joined us."

Nymphadora hushed him, then led him out of the lobby amid stares before holding out her hand to him. He took her hand after a second's hesitation, and she disapparated. When they appeared, Rodolphus jumped back, pulling the witch with him. "There's a cliff, Dora—you could have fallen!"

"I wouldn't," Dora said matter-of-factly. "I wasn't close enough. Anyway, I couldn't join the Death Eaters because I never would have been accepted because of my blood."

"Do you really hate your mother because of what she did?" Rodolphus asked curiously, almost regretting it the instant he asked.

"I...used to. I did when I was younger," Dora explained. "But as I got older, I began to understand why she loved Dad, and why she left her family. Some things I still don't understand, but that's just Mum. She's a puzzle."

"I'd hate her if I were you," Rodolphus said simply. "You could have been one of the pureblood elite if your mother had done her duty to her family."

Nymphadora gave him a strange look, then shuddered. "But Mother was engaged to Marshall Avery," she said, pretending to gag. "I'm so glad she didn't end up with him. I don't need to be a pureblood that badly—and does it really mean that much to you?

Rodolphus stared at the girl. "Does it mean—Nymphadora, it is the continuing of the pureblood houses! With every renegade like your mother, the numbers grow smaller." He looked out over the cliff and muttered, "Yet my own name will die out because Bellatrix refused her pureblood duty as well." Anger surged through him as he thought of it, though he disguised it to look at Nymphadora when she spoke.

"Rabastan won't marry?" she asked thoughtfully, and Rodolphus scowled and shook his head. "Will you ever remarry? Surely you're not too old—"

"Nymphadora, I will not discuss that with you," Rodolphus said sharply, and she blushed, looking away.

"Sorry," she muttered, sighing softly. "I just thought—okay, I'll shut up now." Rodolphus had glared at her, and she looked down, the wind blowing her hair across her face.

He reached out and brushed her hair out of her eyes, electrified as he touched her face. Her breath hitched as she looked up tentatively. He couldn't move for a moment as he looked into her grey eyes, though he finally withdrew his hand as if he'd been stung.

Rodolphus turned away from her. "We should go back to your house," he said nonchalantly. "Your mother will wonder where we've got to."

"And if I want to stay?" the girl challenged him.

"Ha!" Rodolphus said, then stepped forward, grabbing her by the wrist and disapparating.

"Lestrange!" she hissed when they appeared, but her eyes were sparkling with fun.

"I would only stay out if your mother didn't know," Rodolphus said. "We'd never be safe otherwise."

Nymphadora led the way to the house, and he shook his head to try to clear it. He didn't want Andromeda to get the wrong idea, and thought it was best that he wasn't watching Nymphadora too closely as they walked in.

As it was, Andromeda greeted her daughter, then shot him a glare and told him to meet her in the dining room. Rodolphus followed her into the room, refusing to sit as he waited for the woman to speak. He knew what she would say, but was not prepared to hear her say it.

"What are your intentions toward my daughter, Rodolphus?" Andromeda asked him, her dark brown eyes boring into his.

"I have no 'intentions' as you mean them," he answered evenly. "It was an accident that we fell asleep in the same bed; she did not know it was I because her mind was disturbed with the pain of the cure."

"If you are in any way improper in your conduct toward her," Andromeda said coldly, "I will make sure that you regret it very, very much."

"I have no wish to approach her physically," Rodolphus scoffed. "She is nothing compared to what I have had, and could never satisfy me. Also, she is tainted by that filthy Mudblood of a husband that you chose—and by the werewolf she chose. Not to mention, their cub that she must now raise alone."

Andromeda seemed to shut out his words, though she accepted the excuse. "Ah," she said. "If you stray, however, know that I will be watching you, and that I will not tolerate misbehavior, Lestrange."

He merely nodded, unwilling to get into an argument with the witch. "I just want to rebuild and leave," he said.

Andromeda smiled thinly. "Your brother is restless. Perhaps you should have a word with him. I would hate for him to be injured again as he's recovering from last time."

Rodolphus sighed, then left the room, walking up the stairs toward his brother's room. The instant he entered the room, Rabastan looked up at him and grinned. "How did the cure go?"

"She's all right," Rodolphus shrugged. "Andromeda's angry because her daughter decided I made a good pillow."

"Oh, not you," Rabastan chuckled. "But Andromeda...that would be nice."

"What did you do to her?" Rodolphus asked his brother. "She seems to be quite contemplative about cursing you."

"She already did," the younger wizard said, rolling his eyes. "I couldn't help it!"

Rodolphus eyed the man sternly. "What did you do?"

Rabastan grinned slightly. "She leaned over me to check my arm, and I grabbed her, pulled her down to me. She fell right on top of me, then Cursed me something awful. I guess she didn't like it as much as I did."

"Rabastan," Rodolphus sighed. "Do not play around with Andromeda. She is a dangerous witch."

"Well, Andromeda came back from St. Mungo's insisting that you've fallen in love with Nymphadora—"

"I have NOT!" Rodolphus yelled, and his brother jumped, both of them shocked at how loud he had said it. "She assumes too much, and it wasn't like it seemed. I would never desecrate Bella's memory like that."

"Well, she told me some interesting things," Rabastan smirked. "Before she Cursed me and ran off, that is. She wouldn't mind if you and little Nymphie got together, though she's only worried that you'll hurt her daughter.

Rodolphus glared at his brother, furious that he would make up such things. "I would mind!" he snapped. "And I don't want to hear about what she has to say. Andromeda is not to be trusted!"

Rabastan shrugged. "A witch that fine, but yet so rough..." He sighed at the thought, closing his eyes. "Then again, she reminds me of Bellatrix, in all the perfect ways..."

Rodolphus swore at his brother, then stormed out of the room, hoping to find solitude in his room. He just couldn't deal with anymore people at the moment.


	39. Chapter 39

**Late Happy New Year! Do enjoy this chapter! I have more story ideas, so that's motivation for me to finish the ones I already have in progress. :) That should mean that I have quicker updates, as well. Thanks so much for all your support!**

 **Dora**

* * *

When Nymphadora returned from the Office a couple days later, she sank down onto the couch between the brothers and sighed deeply. "What happened?" Rodolphus smirked at her. "Did they suspend you again?"

"No," she rolled her eyes. "Reanne thinks I'm stupid for getting mauled by a werewolf."

"Well, you were," Rabastan pointed out, and she shot him a glare.

"Leave her alone," Rodolphus sighed to his brother. "You were stupid too."

Rabastan was offended, and Dora said, "Do tell, little brother."

He groaned in annoyance. "Don't call me that! And there's nothing to tell."

"How did _you_ get bitten?" Nymphadora asked curiously, shifting to face him on the couch, unconsciously leaning back against Rodolphus' shoulder. "I'm sure you didn't actually keep one in the house like I did."

"We forgot it was a full moon, went on a raid, and I made fun of a werewolf," Rabastan said finally. "When they transformed, he came after me, and I suffered for it. Then Rodolphus brought a Healer to me, and when we returned to the Dark Lord, we were both tortured."

"He was only seventeen," Rodolphus said, starting slightly when she turned to look at him, too close for his comfort.

"Oh, sorry," she said, scooting away from him. "Seventeen and already a Death Eater?"

"Joined when I was sixteen," Rabastan shrugged. "Bella taught me and Regulus together, though he seemed to know everything from the start. He also got to go out without Bella or Rodolphus before I did. It wasn't fair."

Rodolphus smirked. "Bella knew when you were ready."

Rabastan just rolled his eyes, looking up as Andromeda entered the room, a very upset Teddy in her arms. "Dora," she sighed. "Take Teddy. I think he wants you. He just won't stop crying."

Nymphadora took her baby boy into her arms, rocking him gently as she murmured, "What is it, Teddy? It's okay, Mummy's here now."

He grabbed onto her robe with a tiny fist, still crying as she kissed his soft curls. "You're okay," she murmured again, sighing as she leaned against the back of the couch. "I love you, Teddy Bear."

Rodolphus watched her, fascinated to see her interact with the child, though he felt anger deep inside as he thought yet again of Bella's refusal of his children. He looked away from her, then back again, wanting to reach out and touch the child, but was nervous to do so with his brother there.

After a moment, Rodolphus carefully reached out, gently touching the back of the child's fist, almost holding his breath as the child grasped his finger, looking up with his brown eyes full of tears. Rodolphus found he couldn't speak, couldn't say a word, though he wanted to reassure the child.

Nymphadora picked that exact moment to lean into his side, her head against his shoulder. "Nymphie," Rabastan said, rolling his eyes, "get off of my brother."

Dora made a face at him. "I just wanted to be able to hold Teddy closer to him. Teddy like Rodolphus."

The man gave a slight smile, watching the child calm as he held his finger. Dora looked at Rodolphus, asking, "Do you want to hold Teddy?"

Rodolphus shrugged, and Dora turned, carefully helping Rodolphus situate the child in his arms. The only thing that went through his mind at the time was the complete unfairness of his family situation, and how Nymphadora still had her mother and her son.

Teddy gave a small cry, and Rodolphus allowed the child to hold his finger again. "Shh," he told him, his anger subsiding when he realised he was frightening the child. "It's okay."

Nymphadora smiled at them happily, watching him with the child until Andromeda came back to the room. "Time to eat?" Dora asked, jumping to her feet at the witch's nod.

She reached out for Teddy, but Rodolphus shook his head. "I've got him," he said. "Go on. I'll be right behind you."

"Okay," she smiled, turning to leave the room.

"I can't believe you'd trust him that much," Rabastan said. "After all, it wasn't long ago that he was trying to kill you."

"So were you," Nymphadora snapped, the roots of her hair turning red. "But I would sooner trust him than you, for I can understand him. You—I should have left you to your fate!"

Nymphadora whirled around and stormed out of the room, Rodolphus turning to his brother with a sigh. "Don't talk like that to her," he said. "She's upset for some reason right now."

"Don't be pathetic," Rabastan told him.

"I'm not!" Rodolphus said in annoyance.

"Either pathetic, or you like her," his brother said firmly. "Now don't deny it. You treat her so special; it's not normal."

Rodolphus glared at his brother. "She saved us, Rabastan. Of course I treat her differently!"

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them, and they turned to see Andromeda leaning against the door frame. "Boys," she said. "I wouldn't want you to go hungry. Or for the food to be cold. You should continue this conversation later."

Rabastan shrugged and walked away from the older wizard, walking past Andromeda and going into the dining room. Rodolphus looked at the witch, then scowled, holding Teddy against his shoulder as he followed Andromeda to the dining room. He sat down next to Dora, trying to calm himself as he focused on Teddy, struggling to ignore his brother and the women.

Teddy was quiet through the entire meal, only becoming fussy at the end, and Dora said, "Oh, I should probably take him up to the nursery to take care of him."

Rodolphus gave the child back to the witch, letting her go on upstairs with the child. He looked up as Andromeda said, "Rodolphus...if there's something I can do to make things better for you, tell me."

"Could you send Rabastan away?" Rodolphus said half jokingly, though he did not smile.

"I heard him," Andromeda nodded. "He'll get over himself eventually. He's only worried that he'll end up having to continue the House of Lestrange."

"How would you know that?" Rodolphus asked her.

"We were talking about how you and Dora treat each other," Andromeda replied. "He's afraid that you'll fall in love, though I told him that it's much too soon for any such things to happen."

Rodolphus shivered slightly. "Bella's been gone only a couple weeks," he whispered. "Nothing—no one could replace her."

Andromeda nodded, finishing her tea and getting to her feet. "I thank you for how decent you've been since you arrived here," she said. "It has been pleasant, for the most part."

The man gave her a small smirk before getting to his feet as Andromeda began to clear the table. He was going to go up to his room and read for an hour or two before bed, without interruptions from anyone.

This plan, however, was interrupted by the sounds of Teddy crying from inside the nursery, and, drawn by the sound, Rodolphus pushed the door open and walked in. The man stopped immediately, staring in shock at the sight of Nymphadora pinned against the wall as Rabastan kissed her, his hands roaming her body.

With a yell of rage, Rodolphus wandlessly cursed his brother away from her, leaving him writhing on the floor. He rushed over to Dora as she slid down the wall, tears streaming down her face. "Dora," he breathed, looking into her eyes. Her dress was torn, and she held back a sob, trying to make sure the material covered her body. "Dora," Rodolphus murmured, horrified that Rabastan would attack her like he had. "Did he hurt you in any way, or just grab you?"

"Just...grabbed me," Dora gulped, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Rod, could you get Teddy—I dropped him when Rabastan—oh, I hope he isn't hurt! Please—!"

"Okay," Rodolphus said softly, hurrying to pick up the screaming child and give him to his mother. Nymphadora cradled her son close as tears ran down her face, the witch curled up against the wall. "Dora, I'm so sorry," he told her. "Honest."

"It isn't your fault," she whispered, leaning down to kiss her child's head. "Teddy's okay. That's what matters."

"Rabastan," Rodolphus said thoughtfully, "leave us. Or Dora and I will have to practise certain unusual spells on you...I'm sure she could use the training since you live in this house now."

Rabastan hissed in pain, getting to his feet and leaving the room without looking back at them. Rodolphus turned back to the witch, kneeling down next to her and asking, "Dora, is there anything you need me to do? You're sure you're not hurt?"

"Yes," Dora whispered, then looked up at him. "Will you hold me for a moment?"

"Ah—" Rodolphus was about to protest, but nodded and reached out his arm, drawing her to lean against him and cradling her reassuringly. "You'll be fine," he muttered into her dark hair, marveling at how perfectly warm and small she was. "I'll make sure that never happens again."

The girl sniffed against his shoulder, her baby held close to herself, whispering, "I'm sorry to make you and your brother fight. I tend to split families like that."

Rodolphus shushed her, shifting to sit on the floor, pulling her back to himself. "It isn't your fault," he murmured. "Rabastan...he has issues, just like me."

"You're wonderful," Dora said. "Him...not so much."

"Ha!" Rodolphus chuckled, and Dora seemed to smile slightly as he pressed his face into her hair, breathing in her scent. "As I prefer you to your mother," he agreed.

"It takes a special man to love someone like Mum," Dora said knowingly. "Not just anyone can deal with her mood swings and her temper."

"Do you have her temper?" Rodolphus chuckled, and she looked up at him with a smirk, nodding. "I thought so." He couldn't help squeezing her gently, her dark eyes intriguing him as she watched him, both them leaning closer to each other until their lips met softly.

Rodolphus felt thrilled as he embraced the witch, her arm sliding around his neck as she firmed the kiss slightly. He couldn't help being drawn in by the feeling of her soft lips on his, her body warm against his, though he pulled away at last, shocked at his own behaviour.

Nymphadora looked up at him, her lips slightly parted, her eyes asking him to stay. He disentangled himself from her completely, getting to his feet. "I—I'm sorry," he muttered to her, then rushed from the room, needing to get away from the witch.

Rodolphus stumbled into his room, trying to slow his breathing as he sank down onto the bed, burying his face in his hands. His head was spinning, his senses overloaded from holding Nymphadora for only that brief moment. He struggled to shut out the memory of it, though he couldn't stop thinking of how perfect she had been in his arms, how perfectly her lips had fit his—Rodolphus grit his teeth, jumping up and going straight to the window to stare out at the lane in hopes of distraction.

He pressed his hands to his head, fighting the suggestions that his brain was giving him. "No!" he cried, turning away and pacing the floor as he wrestled with his thoughts. "I won't—I can't let this be. She is nothing, just a woman." He was almost hyperventilating as he collapsed onto the bed, curling up and squeezing his eyes shut.

The man knew he needed something strong to distract him, though he couldn't help thinking of how nice it was to hold a woman since Bella was gone...Bellatrix. Rodolphus groaned in mental agony. "I'm sorry!" he cried out. "I'm sorry, Bella!"

It was there: the distraction. Rodolphus felt an old memory of Bella's fury come over him, and he let it rage, going limp on the bed before writhing in pain at the memory of her Curses. When it came to the unknown, Rodolphus would rather take the pain. "Yes," he gasped, welcoming the punishment Bellatrix had inflicted on him before. "I deserve it. It's my fault. I shouldn't have done it—" he cried out in pain of the memory, continuing to suffer for some time.


	40. Chapter 40

**This has been my favourite chapter to write for some time! I just love scenes like this. XD**

 **Do enjoy and all that. :D**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Rodolphus avoided Nymphadora for the next few days, not speaking to her when they bumped into each other in the hall, or at meals. Finally, she cornered him the upstairs hallway and said, "Rodolphus, I need to talk to you."

"No," he said, shoving her to the side, but she latched onto his arm and looked up at him pleadingly.

"Please," she asked him, her brown eyes begging for him to say yes.

"Stop looking at me like that," he hissed at her. "Come. We'll talk in the nursery."

He led the way to the room, shivering slightly as she walked into the room, the door swinging shut behind her. "What do you want?" he asked coldly.

Nymphadora bit her lip nervously, Rodolphus turning away from her so he didn't have to think of how attractive it made her. "To talk to you about what happened the other evening," she said quietly.

"That was an accident," Rodolphus said sharply, refusing to look back at her. "Weakness—you played me…."

"I did not!" Nymphadora gasped in astonishment. "I was sitting there next to you, and you kissed me!"

"And you didn't like it?" Rodolphus scoffed, turning to look at her blushing face. "Don't lie, _Nymphie_."

"Don't call me Nymphie!" she yelled, her hair turning bright red before she morphed it back to brown and took a deep breath. "It—it felt like you enjoyed it," she half whispered. "Why did you do that? What does it mean?"

Rodolphus stared at her, guilt and shame rushing through him as he knew what she meant. "It means nothing more than we were together at a moment of weakness, Nymphadora," he said curtly. "We both lost our loved ones in battle, but that night's display was no proper way to solve our problems or to dispel our pain."

The young witch looked at him for a moment before asking something that nearly made Rodolphus' heart stop. "You loved Bellatrix?"

"Of course I loved her!" he shouted in rage before glaring at Nymphadora. "What kind of question is that?"

"I—I didn't think anyone could actually—I mean, she was so evil—" the witch bit her lip as Rodolphus forced himself not to shout again.

"I _wanted_ her to be my wife," Rodolphus hissed through his teeth. "I loved her from the first time I met her, when I was a small boy. I fought to make her mine, to convince her father our match was perfect. It was not some stupid pureblood match just because: I _loved_ her, and I always will."

He couldn't help shivering as he turned away from Nymphadora, the witch seeming shocked. "Perhaps I was foolish," he said bitterly as he looked down at Teddy's empty crib. "She never loved me, not that I can remember. Though if she did, it was for her own purposes that she pretended."

The man clenched his fists as he recalled her childish, teasing voice, her seductive charm and her complete lack of respect for him. "But I chose her, in spite of her faults, and I stayed faithful to her in spite of her obsession with her master, no matter what she did to me. I would not betray her, Nymphadora. You are nothing compared to her."

"Rodolphus," Dora said softly, "you are a noble man."

"And you," Rodolphus replied coldly, "are the half-blood daughter of a blood-traitor. I want you to know, Nymphadora, that there is nothing between us, nor will there ever be."

"Oh, but—" the witch began "Rod, surely you felt the connection between us—"

"There is no _us_!" he shouted at her, magic crackling in his hands before he brought it under control. "There cannot be!" Rodolphus stepped back, a wild look in his eyes as she stepped closer to him. "Leave me alone! I will hurt you, Dora."

She paused, looking thoughtful, then shook her head. "You'll do that, then feel guilty," she mused. "Or you could just listen to me."

Rodolphus stared at her, ashamed to admit that he was half afraid of the girl as she walked toward him. "Nymphadora," he breathed at the look in her eyes. "I'm not like your werewolf—I don't love. I only hurt people—even those that I care about. I can't truly love."

Nymphadora was standing right before him as he backed against the wall, his breath catching in his throat as she slid right into his arms, leaning up to kiss the corner of his mouth. "Then hurt me," she whispered against his lips before kissing him fully, her arms reaching up around his neck.

Rodolphus groaned softly, his desire betraying him as the girl kissed him slowly, passionately. His arm slipped around her waist, pulling her closer as he quickly took charge of their kiss, one hand on her hip. He felt her grip on his hair, holding him down to her, though he was more than willing to take whatever she wanted to give.

Her sigh of pleasure thrilled him, and he slid down the wall to the floor, pulling her onto his lap as he began to stroke her body, the witch shivering in delight as she settled closer to him.

He debated with himself for a moment, then reached to the hem of her dress, pulling it up as she pressed her lips to his again, though she didn't seem so eager anymore. He almost laughed, feeling the witch's hesitation as his hand slid up her leg beneath the dress. "Is something wrong?" he smirked at her, stroking her thigh as he looked straight into her eyes.

"You—you're really going to do this?" she breathed, and Rodolphus chuckled, leaning in to kiss her neckline.

"Isn't this what you really want?" he smirked against her smooth, white skin. "Just a man to make you feel better?"

"No," she breathed, gasping at his boldness.

"You don't know what you want," he sighed at her mockingly before rolling her onto her back, crawling over her and smirking at her panicked expression. "You don't trust me when I tell you _I will hurt you_. I know myself, Nymphie. I spent fifteen years total, in Azkaban, learning exactly how I think and what I want."

"And what do you want?" the witch shuddered, turning away from the man only to have him roughly pull her to face him.

"Right now, I want you to leave me alone," Rodolphus said coldly. "Leave me alone, or—" he pressed his hips against hers firmly, evoking a small cry from the witch. "I will hurt you, Nymphadora. I would hate to hurt something so...perfect."

She groaned at the feeling of him so intimately close, barely hearing his words. "What if I want you?"

Rodolphus' grip tightened on her, but he forced himself not to follow up on her question. "Then you're more confused now than you were to begin with. Why would you try to seduce me and decide you don't like your success?"

"You were ignoring me!" the girl yelled at him, her hair flashing red as tears came to her eyes, unable to brush them away as Rodolphus clasped her hands in his, pinning them above her head. "I wanted to talk to you, but you're so damn hard—"

"Yeah," he smirked, distracted by the tears trickling down her cheeks. "Dora..." he kissed her face, licking the salt tears from her cheeks "you're so beautiful when you cry."

"Stop," she wept. "I was wrong. You're an awful man."

"Good," he murmured against her cheek. "We needed to clear that up. Also, I'm evil, and deranged. Understood?"

Nymphadora stared up at him, trembling beneath him as he looked at her thoughtfully. "What—what are you going to do now?" she whispered.

Rodolphus continued to watch her for a moment, then rolled off of her, pulling her dress down to cover her once again. He then grasped her, pulling her to lean against his chest. "Perhaps now we can talk?" he smirked into her hair. "Now that you're not delusional about me anymore."

"Let me go," she said defiantly, struggling against his arms.

He firmly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap, forcing her to stay there. "I knew you would try to run," he sighed. "I can't have you ignoring me now, can I?"

Nymphadora hissed angrily, "I never should have spoken for you!"

"Don't be like that, Dora," he scolded her. "Mumma Andy should have warned you not to play with fire."

"I—I didn't mean to get into any of this," Dora sniffed, shivering as he kissed her neck. "Stop!" Tears were flowing from her eyes as Rodolphus sighed and complied.

"What did you mean to do?" he asked her, turning her to cradle her against his chest again. "What did you hope to gain by approaching me with the same look Bellatrix always had when she had plans for me?"

"I—what?" she sniffed, her head against his shoulder as she didn't dare look up.

He sighed. "Your smirk, the promising one...it runs in the Black blood. Bella always did that to me…." Rodolphus sighed again. "Don't do it. It brings out the worst in me."

Nymphadora took a deep breath, feeling Rodolphus' restraining arm loosen for her. "Sorry," she whispered.

"So what were we going to talk about?" Rodolphus questioned, frowning slightly. "Oh, yes. I kissed you the other night. Well, you looked like you needed something...you were crying and trying to comfort Teddy. And you asked me to hold you—that wasn't a good idea. Your body feels a lot like Bella's at nineteen."

"Rodolphus Lestrange!" the witch sputtered, and he couldn't help laughing. "I—I liked it."

"I know," he said in annoyance. "So did I. And I hate myself for it." She looked up, and he refused to make eye contact. "I feel that I'm disgracing Bellatrix's memory," he muttered. "She'd be furious. I just don't understand how you can lose your werewolf and be so ready for another man. Unless you're more like Bellatrix than she ever dared admit."

"I was lonely," Dora murmured. "I still miss Remus, though...I'm more ready to let him go now."

Rodolphus snorted in derision. "Now that he's fully gone."

Nymphadora tensed in his arms, hissing, "I don't want to talk about that!"

The man sighed, finally pushing her away from him. "It's too soon for any relationships, Dora. You just proved it. I'm too ready to hurt you, and you're still in mourning."

"And you're not?" she half glared at him, straightening her skirts.

"I mourn in my own way," he answered. "And if every time I touch you, I want to make you scream, and not in a good way, then I am not ready for anything."

"But—you will—?" Dora breathed, shocked at his words.

"I promise nothing," Rodolphus said. "Do not approach me like this again. My self control is unreliable. You have been lucky." He looked into her face and sighed. "If it is to be, we will find out. In the mean time, you still have dirty blood and I want nothing to do with you."

Nymphadora got to her feet, watching him with her lips slightly parted before she turned and rushed from the room. Rodolphus sighed, wrapping his arms around his knees and putting his head down on his arms. He could only hope she didn't carry tales to her mother. What was happening to him?


	41. Chapter 41

**There is only one chapter left after this one! :D Woop! I'm so happy this journey is nearly over, because then-you guessed it-I get to start another story! Ahahahaha-ahem. Do enjoy. :)**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Nearly three days later, Rabastan showed up at the door to his brother's room, a serious look on his face. "We need to have a serious talk," he said to his older brother, who shook his head in amusement and allowed the younger wizard into the room.

"What's upset you now?" Rodolphus smirked, leaning back in his chair.

"What did you do to Nymphadora?" Rabastan said sharply, looking down at him.

"I haven't done anything," Rodolphus frowned. "Not a thing. What are you talking about?"

Rabastan scowled at him for a few moments, then asked, "You haven't...hurt her...in any way?"

Rodolphus suddenly realised what his brother might be referring to, though he glared back at the man. "I have not," he said sharply. "Why do you ask?"

"Rodolphus," Rabastan hissed, "Andromeda suspects that you've raped her daughter, or done something stupid like that. Apparently the girl refuses to talk to her mother about it. Andromeda was on her way to call you out when I ran into her in the hall. Look: tell me the truth and I won't judge you. You're my brother. We can leave here if we need to."

"I told you the truth," Rodolphus growled. "If I had done anything to her that she hadn't allowed, I would be long gone."

"So you _did_ do something," Rabastan groaned. "Rodolphus, I told you to leave her alone!"

Rodolphus turned away from his brother. "I did. She tried to seduce me."

Rabastan laughed coldly. "And did she succeed?" he asked harshly.

"I took everything she was willing to give," Rodolphus said flatly. "But when it came down to it, she decided she was too scared and begged me to let her go. So I did."

"Just like that?" Rabastan scoffed. "Make me believe you."

"I did force her to sit and talk with me for a few moments," Rodolphus shrugged. "She was crying because I'd scared her—she'd become a little jumpy when I lifted her skirts."

Rabastan shuddered. "You would have—ugh. Rod, remember your duty to our House. She cannot be your woman."

Rodolphus didn't answer, reaching up to rub his temples, and Rabastan sank down onto the bed. "Rodolphus," he breathed. "You can't be seriously thinking about taking Nymphadora to yourself. No. Our house will end—and what about Bella? What would she say if—"

The older wizard looked up at his brother, enraged. "Get out!" he hissed. "You do not understand!"

"Then explain it to me!" Rabastan yelled. "I'm not leaving until I'm satisfied that you're not trying to ruin your life or send yourself back to Azkaban!"

"Fine!" Rodolphus yelled in return, magic surging through his arms as he struggled to hold back his rage. "You don't know how much I loved Bella, and you can't assume that I don't care anymore now that she's gone! I will always love her, but I can't pretend that I'm okay with her death. I _am not okay,_ Rabastan!"

"It's obvious you aren't," the younger man glared.

"Dora _helps_ me!" Rodolphus' voice dropped to a whisper, the man clenching his fists as he sank back in his chair. "She...she's like Bella, but she's good. Having her near keeps me calm—or at least it used to. Dora has a soothing, healing touch, Rabastan, and I—I can't help but need her."

Rabastan seemed to be struggling to find words to reply properly, and Rodolphus buried his face in his hands. "I...Rod," he began uncomfortably, then sighed. "What do I say to you?"

The older wizard shuddered, breathing quickly as he shook his head. "She—she kissed me the other night," he whispered, then immediately winced at his brother's expression. "I couldn't help it...she's such an innocent young witch. It started all of this. I couldn't resist her, though it's so wrong—"

"Well, I know she's hard to resist," Rabastan nodded. "You had to pull me off her once already."

"That had better not happen again," Rodolphus glared at his brother before turning away from him. "I do not want her spoiled."

"Ha!" Rabastan laughed. "You're the one who got the closest."

"I wouldn't hurt her for the world," Rodolphus muttered. "But she's got to understand that I'm not safe, and I will snap if she tries to play me like Bella did."

Rabastan sighed, getting to his feet. "So what do I tell Andromeda?"

Rodolphus frowned. "Why should you tell her anything? Dora is fine."

The younger wizard shook his head. "Then you have been avoiding her recently," he shrugged. "I guess that's for the best. Good night, brother." He left the room without another word, and Rodolphus watched him go, confused. Why was it good that he'd been avoiding the girl?

* * *

It didn't take long for Rodolphus to find out that Nymphadora was deeply disturbed about something, the witch often locking herself in her room or the nursery to be alone. He couldn't understand what was going on, but decided not to ask anyone, staying out of the girl's business.

Late one evening, however, Rodolphus was walking from the kitchen back to his room with a late evening snack when he heard the sound of someone crying heartbrokenly. He wandlessly sent his snack ahead of him to his room, deciding to investigate.

As he thought, the moment he looked into the nursery, he saw Nymphadora standing before her son's crib, tears streaming down her face as she wrapped her arms around herself tightly. He watched her for a few moments before he couldn't help entering the room, walking up behind her as she had just turned from the doorway.

The instant he slipped his arms around her, she gasped, then began to cry harder, and Rodolphus held her closer, supporting the witch as her body shook uncontrollably. She tried to speak but couldn't be understood amid her sobs, and Rodolphus whispered, "Shh, Dora. No need to explain."

Her hands clutched his robe in her need to be held as she buried her face in his shirt, her hair the strangest combination of brown and grey that he'd ever seen. She did not seem to notice as he drew her over to the rocking chair, pulling her to sit on his lap and rocking them both as he cradled her in his arms. The young witch cried for a very long time, calming slightly every now and then, but always beginning to sob again soon after.

When she had eventually cried herself dry, she lay limply in the man's arms, her right hand resting on his chest, her other arm around his back. He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her hair. "Whatever it all means," he said quietly, "I'm sorry for any part I had in it."

She drew a deep breath, but didn't speak, her fingers twitching against the front of his shirt. He rubbed her back gently for a moment, then murmured, "You should get some rest, Dora." He began to rise from the chair, but she cried out softly, grasping onto him tightly.

"No," she breathed. "Don't leave me."

"Dora," he said in wonder, holding her on his lap as he sat on the edge of the chair. "We both need sleep."

She refused to let go of him, and he bit his lip slightly. "Would you be okay if you came and stayed with me for the night?" he asked awkwardly. "I—I wouldn't hurt you, or anything."

Dora nodded against his shirt, and he lifted her into his arms, carrying the young woman down the hall into his own room, setting her on the bed. "Go on," he muttered. "I'm used to the left side, though."

Rodolphus turned away from her for a moment as she crawled beneath the sheets, hoping that it hadn't been a bad idea to let her sleep in his bed. He decided not to undress, going to the other side of the bed and slipping beneath the sheets, facing the young witch's back. He frowned, wondering what to do when she wriggled back toward him, and he understood, reaching out and pulling her back to himself, his arms wrapping around her securely. "Good night," he murmured against her hair, and her soft sigh answered him.

The man looked up toward the window and chilled in realisation. It was the full moon.

* * *

Early the next morning, Rodolphus stirred and jumped in shock, feeling a warm body next to his. He only remembered what had gone on the previous evening when he saw the beautiful young witch's brown hair and realised who it was. "Dora," he murmured, hugging her secretly before carefully withdrawing his arms from around her.

He made sure to tuck the blanket back around her as he slipped out of the bed, keeping a careful eye on her as he dressed for the day. Finally, he set a Waking Charm on the blanket and left the room after making sure the window was shaded enough to allow her to sleep until the Charm woke her.

It wasn't until he met Andromeda downstairs that he thought twice about leaving Nymphadora asleep in his bed, but it was too late. He was trapped downstairs talking to her, and then Rabastan an hour or two later, until Andromeda finally asked, "Have either of you seen Nymphadora? Do you know where she is?"

Rabastan shook his head, but Rodolphus shifted uncomfortably, looking to the woman a little nervously. "The girl...stayed with me last night," he finally said to her questioning look.

Andromeda's mouth fell open as she stared at him in shock, soon reaching for her wand. "How _dare_ you?!" she hissed, magic crackling as she pointed her wand at him.

"It was the full moon," Rodolphus said quietly. "She was hysterical, and there was no one else awake but me. There was nothing improper between us, Andromeda. Nymphadora is still asleep in my room, perfectly safe."

"Roooood," Rabastan sighed, shaking his head. "Why would you incriminate yourself?"

"I have nothing to hide," Rodolphus replied before looking back to Andromeda holding her wand on him. "Nothing, Andromeda."

She was obviously trying to find words to say, and finally said in a deadly voice, "If you ever have something to hide, Rodolphus Lestrange, be assured that I will find it out, and you will suffer for it."

Rodolphus nodded silently, not needing the warning look in her eyes. He knew that the witch would have no qualms about cursing him thoroughly should be "misbehave."

Later that afternoon, Rodolphus heard Nymphadora walking down the stairs and looked up from his reading to see her look into the room. "Why did you tell Mum?" Dora sighed with a yawn. "She's worse than an Inquisition."

"Sorry," Rodolphus chuckled. "I just didn't want to hide anything from her in case she found out the wrong way. Did she yell at you?"

Dora shook her head. "She asked too many questions," she sighed. "I need coffee. Want to come sit with me?"

Rodolphus agreed, following the witch into the kitchen and waiting for her a moment before deciding to also make himself a drink. They sat across from each other at the table, both silent for a few moments before Dora looked up at the man and said, "You know a lot about me, but I don't know very much about you at all."

The man shook his head. "There's not much to know," he said. "It's a story much like any pureblood heir."

"I doubt it," Dora said flatly, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Tell me about your life."

"Dora," Rodolphus sighed, then gave her a small smirk. "My life story started when I was five…."

"Why five?" Dora asked curiously.

Rodolphus looked down at his drink, the scene perfectly clear in his mind. "Because that was the very first time I ever saw Bellatrix Black…."


	42. Chapter 42: Epilogue, Part 1

**Okay, I lied. There is one more chapter after this, and it's because this is a sort of epilogue that was definitely too long to be one chapter. Anyway, do enjoy this! I have the whole thing written now! :D**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Nearly six months after Rodolphus had told Nymphadora his life story, he stood at the front of a church, waiting for her to enter and walk to him down the aisle. He watched for her earnestly, feeling a rush of warmth as he saw her blushing face. Rodolphus could hardly believe that they were going to be married, that she would dare it, but she had sworn to him that she loved him no matter what.

He couldn't help but smile at her, impressed with her simply beautiful appearance. He had to admit: he loved her too. His heart was pounding as she slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, Rodolphus forcing himself to face the man who would perform the ceremony.

Soon enough, he was staring into Dora's eyes again, finding himself so lost that he was almost startled when he was told to kiss the girl. He lifted her veil, shocked slightly that it was the same as the one Bella had worn, though he shook off that memory as he pulled Nymphadora closer and kissed her softly, firming his kiss for a moment before the two finally broke apart.

Catcalls sounded from several parts of the room, and Nymphadora blushed furiously as they turned to face the crowd to be announced as Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange. Rodolphus hugged her to his side, unable to disguise the thrill he felt in the sound of those words. She was his: he had done everything right.

That night, as he held his new wife on his lap and kissed her thoroughly, he felt torn, suddenly nervous about making love to her. He didn't want to hurt her—that was one of his greatest fears—and he knew that he wasn't used to being gentle.

Even though Rodolphus was hesitant, Nymphadora turned out to be much more encouraging than he expected, as she embraced him and whispered the most innocently naughty things. Before he knew it, she was crying out in delight as he made love to her, Rodolphus groaning in pleasure as she writhed beneath him, her head thrown back on the pillows. He leaned in to kiss her neck, and she cried, "Rod, I love you so much!"

He loved hearing her say things like that, and determined that she would have much, much more reason to say them—or scream them—in the future….

* * *

A few months later, Rodolphus was waiting for his wife to return to him after speaking with her mother, looking away from the ceiling as she entered the room.

"Rod," she murmured, blushing the tiniest bit. She crawled up on the bed, kneeling beside him before she grabbed his hand and said a lot of words all in a rush, only a few of which stood out to him.

Rodolphus stared at the witch in shock as her black hair turned pink. "What did you say?" he breathed.

"I...I'm pregnant," Nymphadora whispered, her right hand resting on her stomach. "We're—we're going to be a family."

"Nymphadora!" he breathed, reaching out and pulling her close, kissing her hair as he cradled her in his arms, one of his hands soon resting on top of hers. "Oh, Dora, that's wonderful!"

The witch blinked back happy tears, saying, "I'm not due til about January, but I'm so excited for this child—I'm so happy."

Rodolphus tipped her face up toward his and murmured, "Dora, this is the best thing that could have happened to us. Thank you, so much."

"I—I don't know if it's a boy or a girl," Dora sniffed, dashing a couple tears away as she clung to her husband. "But—I thought we might wait til the child is born—unless you want to know now."

"It doesn't matter to me what the child is," Rodolphus answered, gently hugging the woman as he embraced her, completely overwhelmed that she was going to give him a child. "I'm so happy, Dora."

She leaned up and kissed his lips, Rodolphus kissing her particularly, trying to explain how he felt through their kiss. He must have succeeded, for when he drew back, she nodded slightly and murmured, "I—I know, Rod. Thank you for letting me have the honour."

He shook his head slightly at her words, still confused and amazed that she would want to have his children. He kissed her head again, promising himself that he would do whatever he had to to protect his wife and little baby, no matter the cost.

* * *

"Sir, your daughter…."

Rodolphus stared at the tiny crying child, his arms coming up automatically to take the dark-haired baby girl into his arms. He stared down into her dark eyes, not seeing Dora looking up at him, sweat glistening on her forehead. The baby was crying loudly, and he gently touched her face, awed by the child's beauty as she turned toward his finger.

"Baby Belle," he breathed, touching her tiny fist with a finger. "I love you." He could not handle his emotions as the child grasped his finger, a tear dripping onto his face.

"When you're finished," Dora pouted, her arms crossed over her chest, "may I hold her?"

He acted like he hadn't heard her at first, then finally leaned down and gave the little girl to her mother, dashing his tear away as if it had never been there. He watched his wife put the child to her breast, teaching the little girl how to get her meal. Rodolphus breathed, "Dora, she's so beautiful...thank you."

Nymphadora looked up at him and gave a tired smile. "You are my husband," she said softly. "This is my duty and privilege, Rodolphus. Here." She patted the bed beside her. "Sit."

Rodolphus numbly sat next to his wife, watching their brand new daughter wriggle in the blanket, her tiny fist against her mother's breast. "She's perfect," he whispered, kissing Dora's head gently. "Just like her mother."

* * *

One year old Belle Lestrange sat on her half-brother's lap giggling as she played with the clasp on his robe curiously. Teddy sat beside Mordor's wife Merime, grinning at Belle, and Rodolphus couldn't help smiling proudly at them.

"It seems you're going to have your hands full," Mordor chuckled, glancing from the two children with him to Nymphadora, who was obviously pregnant again. "Twins, Dora. You outdo yourself."

"Well," Dora said with a small smile, "I try my best."

Merime smiled back at the older witch, glancing at her husband, who reached out and grasped her hand in his. Mordor leaned over and whispered something to Teddy, who grinned and turned to everyone.

"Hey!" Teddy shouted with a huge grin. "Guess what? Merry's gonna have a baby too, just like Mum!"

"What?" Rodolphus said in shock, almost unable to believe his ears, even as Dora called out her congratulations.

"I...I'm pregnant," Merime murmured before looking up to the man's face.

He was across the room in moments, the girl getting to her feet to accept his embrace. She accepted the blessing he spoke over her, sniffing back her tears. "Congratulations, daughter," he breathed, and she hugged him tightly.

Rodolphus released her, still shocked later that night when he slipped into bed next to Nymphadora. She smiled up at him with a yawn. "I'm sure you're happy, Master Lestrange," she grinned. "You're going to be a grandfather. How exciting is that?"

"Dora...it's a dream come true," Rodolphus sighed. "I didn't think this would ever happen."

"Just wait til that moment," Dora grinned, patting her own round stomach. "That child will be the most spoiled heir there ever was."

The man couldn't help giving a proud smile. "Of course," he answered, kissing his wife firmly. "Only the best for the ones I love."

* * *

Rodolphus held Belle in his arms as he sat on the couch opposite Andromeda, Teddy playing on the floor between them. "Rodolphus," the witch smiled at him, "they will let you know when you can go. It takes time for these things."

"It's not fair that Dora got to be there," Rodolphus almost pouted, making Andromeda laugh, shaking her head.

"I'm sure it would be far more traumatizing to the poor girl if you were there," she chuckled. "Merry is nervous enough as it is."

"Merry?" Belle said, looking up at her father, Teddy also looking up. "Where Merry?"

"Merry's got a baby," Teddy said importantly, grinning at his dad's proud look.

Belle seemed a little confused, and Rodolphus hugged her close. "You're getting a new little cousin tonight," he told the children.

Teddy grinned. "Ro and Des' cousins too?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah," Rodolphus answered, looking across the room at the twins Andromeda was caring for at the moment. "It's been a while…."

"It's her first," Andromeda said, with a small smile. "The first usually takes the longest."

"You're not helping," Rodolphus rolled his eyes at her, but couldn't help giving a small smirk.

It wasn't but a few minutes later that Nymphadora's Patronus came careening into the room, screeching to a halt in front of Rodolphus. "The baby's here!" came Dora's excited voice. "Come see!"

Rodolphus quickly set Belle down on the floor next to Teddy and said a hurried goodbye before he left the house, going directly to his old home. He entered through the gates, hurrying along the corridors to where he knew the rooms would be.

Nymphadora came hurrying up to him after a moment, Rodolphus catching her by the arms as she looked up into his face. "Dora," he said, "are they all right?"

"They're fine, Rod," Dora said, then stopped him from walking past her by placing a hand on his chest. "Look—it's a girl. And Merime is terrified that you'll be upset. Mordor has been trying to keep her calm—just be the kind man I know you are?" She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I'll go see about something to eat for the new parents."

Rodolphus was startled for a moment, then walked on until he knocked on the door of the room, hearing his older son call for him to enter. The moment he stepped into the room, he saw Mordor sitting next to his wife, one arm around her protectively. Their tiny baby girl lay cuddled in her mother's arms, her wide black eyes looking around curiously.

The man approached the little family slowly, looking down at the little baby, a smile coming to his face. "She's beautiful, Merry, Mordor. Congratulations."

"Thank you, sir," Mordor said, leaning closer to his wife as he rubbed her arm gently.

Rodolphus didn't know what to say to Merime to calm her fears as he took a seat next to the bed, looking down at his first grandchild. "Merime," he said finally, and she looked up at him guardedly, seeming to melt into her husband's side. "You have nothing to fear from me."

She bit her lip, then whispered, "I should have had a son. I—"

"That is not in your control," Rodolphus said, amusement on his lips as he glanced at his own son. "The father determines the gender of the child, Merry. No matter who tradition says is to blame, biology doesn't lie."

"Really?" Merime asked, looking between the two males.

Mordor nodded after a moment. "We don't like admitting it, though. But I already told you that I _don't mind_. I love her."

Rodolphus looked down at his granddaughter again. "What's her name?"

"Well, we talked about names before," Mordor said slowly, "and for a girl, we agreed on Nionielle."

"That's beautiful," Rodolphus said, murmuring the name again. "Do you think I could hold her?"

"Oh—okay," Merry said, and Mordor helped her give the newborn to Rodolphus.

The man looked down into the child's dark eyes, smiling transfixed as he touched her tiny hand, adjusting her blanket slightly. Her eyes reminded him of Belle, and he kissed her face softly. "I love you," he said quietly to his first grandchild. He held her for as long as he felt was allowable, then gave her to Mordor since Merime had sat back against her pillows. "Congratulations," he murmured again before getting to his feet and leaving the room.

Nymphadora hugged him fiercely when he met her in the kitchen. "Thank you," she murmured. "You were perfect."

Rodolphus chuckled softly, kissing his young wife. "Dora, she's so sweet," he said. "I couldn't be upset with her, though thank you for warning me. It's not as difficult to go in knowing what you'll find."

"Well, I've got to take them their food, and then we can go home," Dora said. "I'm sure Mother has her hands full with the children."

"Yes," Rodolphus chuckled. "Don't stay too long." He watched Nymphadora walk away and smirked, plans for their evening beginning to form in his mind.

* * *

Rodolphus walked downstairs at Nymphadora's request, the man's hair nearly all grey now, as he was now fifty five. Dora always told him that he was too young to be grey, but he knew it was because of his past. He stepped off the staircase with a sigh, walking into the living room and stared at the young wizard seated on the couch.

"Dad, look!" shouted seven year old Teddy and five year old Belle. "It's Shae!"

"I see," Rodolphus said after a moment, seeing the two children hugging Mordor's younger brother. "Tell you what: let me have a few words with him, and then you can see him again, okay?"

"Okay!" Teddy grinned, his hair turning black just like the other three in the room.

Belle pouted at her father, and he turned away from her, Teddy grabbing his sister by the hand. "Come on," Teddy said excitedly. "Let's tell Ro and Des about him." The two hurried off, and the father and son were left to look at each other for a few moments.

Rodolphus felt glad to see the younger son of him and Bellatrix, though his heart ached at the idea that the young man would soon be leaving again. "Shaul," he said quietly. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Father," the boy answered, then took a deep breath. "I...I came back to tell you that I never married the girl."

"And that makes a difference how?" Rodolphus frowned at him, horrified at the boy's words.

"It makes no difference," Shaul said sharply. "But I want you to know the truth! I could not return immediately, especially after I left the way I did."

"So what happened?" Rodolphus sighed, sitting down opposite his son.

Shaul looked down at his hands for a moment, then back up to his father, his eyes clear. "Her family refused to allow her to marry me," he said plainly. "She had not told her family the entire truth about me, and my family history. When they realised it, they told her that she could either have a family, or have me. She chose to stay with her family."

Rodolphus stared at his son in shock, but the young man wasn't finished. "I couldn't come home again, so I traveled," Shaul continued. "I've been all over, but two years ago, I settled down and married a girl from the Caribbean islands." He smiled slightly. "She's a beautiful witch, and we have a little girl."

The older wizard couldn't help gasping at the news. "You have a daughter?"

"Yes, sir," Shaul answered. "She was born a couple weeks ago, and I wondered...if you might want to meet her and Katie."

"Katie?" Rodolphus said incredulously, unable to stop himself.

"Her name is Katarina, but she hates her name," Shaul said with a small grin. "She yells just like Dora."

Rodolphus smiled slightly. "Bring them here to visit for a little while, if you like. I don't know if you've heard about our last child?"

Shaul laughed. "Father," he said, "you and Dora are going to have a mob."

"Yes," Rodolphus agreed, "though I think we're about done. I'm too old for little ones."

"I don't believe you," Shaul smirked, and Rodolphus smirked back.

"Well, I'll have them gathered when you return with your family," Rodolphus told him, getting to his feet. "Don't delay."

"Of course not," Shaul nodded, then quickly left the house.

Rodolphus turned to go gather his family to find Andromeda and Nymphadora coming down the stairs with all the children with them. "Dad, where did he go?" Teddy asked, looking to the door. "Is he coming back? He was gone a long time last time…."

Belle immediately claimed a spot on her father's lap before he could take either of her little sisters into his arms. Ariadelle glared at her older sister and protested, "Daddy, take me, too!"

The twins looked over at the girls, then shared the same look of disdain before laughing at them. "Aria, you've got to be faster than Belle," Rohan laughed.

"Belle," Teddy sighed, shaking his head, "you can share. You remember how you and I shared Mummy and Daddy when we were babies."

"He's mine," Belle said with a smirk, daring Teddy to disagree.

"He's ours," Desmond said firmly to his big sister, and Rohan nodded.

Andromeda pointed the boys to the other couch. "Sit," she said. "Aria, come on up here."

Nymphadora sat down next to Rodolphus, her almost two year old child on her lap. "Here, Aria." She leaned down and lifted the brown-haired child between her and Rodolphus.

"So who are we seeing?" Rohan asked, looking at his father curiously.

"Mordor's brother Shaul and his family," Rodolphus sighed. "We stopped talking to him a few years ago because he was going to marry a half-blood."

"Ew!" said Belle with a frown. "Did he?"

"Not that one, at least," Rodolphus answered. "He came back to show us his wife and his baby girl."

Tessa grasped the front of her mother's dress as she sat up. "Baby?"

Dora nodded, and Rodolphus watched them proudly for a moment. "Just a moment longer, and you'll meet another of your baby cousins," she said, kissing her daughter's dark curls.

True to her words, a few moments later, there was a knock on the door, and Rodolphus got to his feet, setting Belle on the couch before he walked to open the door. He let Shaul and his wife into the room, the witch's tan skin contrasting with the pale skin of most of the others.

Shaul nodded to Dora, grinning as Teddy collided with him in a hug. "Well, hello, Teddy," Shaul said. "I guess you missed me, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Teddy said, looking up at the other boy. "Lots has happened since you went away."

"I can imagine," Shaul said drily, then turned to the other two adults. "Mum, Father, this is my wife Katie, and our daughter Maren. Maren was born April 3rd and she is—"

"She is everything that we were yet missing in life," the woman spoke with a soft smile as she looked down at her baby girl. "Do any of you want to hold her?"

Nymphadora immediately looked thrilled. "Yes, please," she said eagerly, and took the child, holding her close. "Aw," she grinned as the little one yawned. "Look, children: she's so cute!"

Teddy leaned over curiously, Aria and Tessa looking closer, but Belle just glanced toward the baby thoughtfully before continuing to snuggle close to her father. Dora began to explain to Shaul about her two newest children, the children gathering to the side of the room to play quietly together as the adults talked.

It was only when Rod, Dora, and Andromeda felt the disturbance in the wards that Shaul drew a sharp breath of alarm. "We've been here too long."

"There's no way out," Dora bit her lip, giving baby Maren back to her mother. "You'll have to meet them. They've got Nell and Meris with them, too."

Shaul nodded, glancing at his wife, who gave him a reassuring nod. Rodolphus watched, slightly nervous as the two got to their feet, Dora hurrying to open the door to their new visitors.

The children greeted Mordor and Merime happily, Belle jumping down from her father's lap to greet her four-year-old cousin Nell. "Mor, look!" Teddy said with a grin, pointing to the other young couple happily. "It's Shaul and Katie!"

The adults froze as Mordor stared at his twin, Merime biting her lip slightly as she realised who the others were. "Father, why is there two of you?" Nionielle asked with a frown, looking between the two.

Katie didn't say a word, silently cradling her baby girl as she stood next to her husband. Finally, Shaul said, "May I have a word with you, sir?"

Mordor's eyes narrowed. "Don't call me sir," he scowled, then walked across the room, motioning Shaul to follow.

Once they were gone, Dora sighed in relief and Rodolphus shook his head. "It isn't over," he said.

"You're Katie?" Merime said to the other witch politely.

The girl nodded. "And you're Merry—Merime. Shaul told me about his brother and you. I'm pleased to meet you, finally."

"For a few minutes until I have to pretend you don't exist," Merime sighed, making Katie stare at her.

"Well!" said Katie, adjusting the child in her arms. "Aren't you optimistic." She looked down to see one of Dora and Rod's children tugging on her dress. "What? Do you want to see Maren?"

She sat down on the couch, the brown-haired girl climbing up beside her. "This is baby Maren," she said softly to the older child. "She's your cousin."

Tessa wriggled down from her mother's lap and toddled across the room to grasp onto Katie's dress. "Baby!" she grinned up at the woman.

"Yes," Katie smiled back, then looked to Nymphadora and Rodolphus. "What are the girls' names, again?"

"The older one is Ariadelle, but we call her Aria," Dora answered. "The younger one is Laetessa, but we call her Tessa."

"And your son and daughter?" Katie questioned Merime.

Merry sighed and sat down, helping Tessa onto the couch. "Nionielle is almost four and Meris is almost two."

The tan witch nodded thoughtfully, then looked up as the two young men entered the room. Shaul beckoned her to himself and she immediately set Tessa aside and carefully disentangled herself from Aria, going straight to his side. He merely nodded to Rodolphus and Nymphadora before leading his wife and daughter from the house.

Mordor whirled around, staring at the older witch and wizard angrily. "You did not give me any warning at all!" he glared at them.

"There was no time," Dora answered, squeezing her husband's hand reassuringly. "I did not know either of you would be here, especially at the same time. It was not my intention, believe me."

"Dad," came the voice of Mordor's little girl as she hurried to him, looking up into his face. "Who was that?"

Mordor lifted the child into his arms, holding her close. "That...that was your uncle," he sighed, kissing her black curls. "He's my twin brother."

"Why haven't we seen him before?" Nell asked, tilting her head slightly. "I don't remember him."

"I'll tell you later," Mordor said to her quietly. "Okay, Nell?"

Belle looked up, her eyes curious, and Rodolphus stopped her from speaking with a warning look. The girl pouted, but he shook his head at her firmly. She turned away, beginning to play with the boys again.

Nymphadora looked at Mordor for a moment, then said, "You're not going to make a decision right away?"

Mordor didn't look at the witch. "No," he muttered. "It's too complicated. I need time to think." Merime got to her feet, her son held firmly on her hip. "We'll visit some other time," he said. "Sorry, Dora."

"It's fine," Dora answered softly. "I'm sorry about it all. Have a good evening."

"Thanks," Merry said, hugging the older witch before leaving with her husband.

Belle turned around immediately and pouted at her father. "I wanted to know if he was going to come back!"

Teddy sighed. "You can't just ask that, Belle. You know how Mor is. He was upset anyway."

"I still wanted to know!" Belle scowled at her brother.

"Stop, you two," Rodolphus said warningly. He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I hope this doesn't make things worse."

"I'm sure the boys can talk things through," Dora told him. "They are brothers, after all."

"I hope so," Rodolphus sighed. "Otherwise it's going to be a very painful wound in our family."

* * *

"Just make sure to hide the evidence," Mordor teased eleven-year-old Belle, he and Shaul laughing uproariously at the thought of their own mischief at Hogwarts. "You don't want to get into too much trouble."

"Boys, don't tell her such things," Dora sighed, reaching out to keep her youngest daughter from smacking into another student. "Laetessa, please don't run into anyone today."

Meris grinned at her. "She can't help being like her mother," he said, and all of Dora's children laughed.

Nionielle was standing close to her mother, almost pouting. "It isn't fair," she said. "I want to go too!"

"Next year," came a reassuring, though amused voice. "Next year, it's you and I, Nell."

"Aislinn!" the girl said excitedly, pulling away from her mother to hug the Malfoy girl. "Oooh, Scorpius is going this year, isn't he?"

"Yes," the blonde girl answered.

"Where are your parents?" Rodolphus asked her.

Aislinn gave him an innocent smile. "I told Mum I was going to see Teddy and Belle off, and then I left," she said. "They're probably on the other side of the platform."

Shaul couldn't help laughing, and Dora said, "You're too much like your mother, too. Won't you miss saying goodbye to your brother, though?"

"No," the girl smirked. "I said goodbye to him two weeks ago because he was being stupid about getting to go away to school."

Aria looked disapproving, and Aislinn turned to shake Belle's hand. "Have fun," she grinned. "And if Scorpius acts out, don't treat him too kindly."

Belle finally cracked a smile. "I won't," she agreed, to the laughter of her family and the caution of her mother. "Thanks."

Rodolphus picked up the girl's trunk, slipping his arm around her as they walked up to the train. He put the trunk in an overhead rack, then turned to his daughter. "Belle," he said softly, and she looked up at him a little nervously. "I love you, no matter what happens at school. The only rule is for you to not get yourself expelled, okay?"

"And not to disgrace the family?" Belle smirked, then laughed and threw her arms around her father. "Of course not," she whispered. "I love you. Thanks for everything."

"Of course," Rodolphus answered, glaring at the student that had just entered the compartment through the door behind Belle. The boy quickly backed out, shutting the door after him. "I'll be looking forward to your letters," he said, kissing her head firmly. He let go of her and stepped back onto the platform, joining the rest of his family in waving to her and Teddy, who poked his head out of another compartment window, his red and gold hair shining bright.

"Bye!" Teddy shouted. "I'll take care of Belle!"

"Teddy, you—!" Belle's reply was lost as the train moved away, leaving the Lestranges laughing on the platform.


	43. Chapter 43: Epilogue Part 2

**And finally the end to Scrapbook! :O Well, do enjoy this last bit. I had fun with it. :)**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Three years later, Rodolphus hugged his youngest daughter tightly, in full view on the station platform. "I'll miss you," he said softly to her. "Always do your best, okay? I'm proud of you no matter what."

Laetessa nodded, biting her lip slightly. "Okay," she said in a small voice.

"Come on, Tess," sighed Ariadelle, tilting her head impatiently. The twelve year old was excited to return to school and did not want to waste time getting on the train.

"Go away," the younger girl said firmly, and Belle motioned Aria to come with her. "Dad," she whispered nervously while Dora was herding all the other children toward the train, "I'm not like the others. I—I don't want to disappoint you."

"Tessa," Rodolphus said gently, kneeling down and looking into the girl's brown eyes, "I know you. I've been here since you were born, and I love you with all my heart. I would not love you less were you in another house. Honestly, I don't think Slytherin is for you."

"But...what if I'm in Gryffindor?" Tessa bit her lip.

"Teddy could use the company," Rodolphus said with a straight face. "I imagine it gets lonely, though he does seem to have lots of friends. You're a great girl, Tessa. I'm sure you'll get along fine."

Tessa bit her lip. "But if I'm different from him, too—I'll be all alone."

Rodolphus looked into her eyes for a moment, then said, "Laetessa. You are starting on your journey to grow up. I think perhaps as the youngest, this is a difficult idea for you. But you won't be home with us anymore, and only you can make this decision. Whatever you decide, Tess, I promise that I will not love you less than I ever have before. Understood?"

She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly as she sniffed back tears. "Thank you, Dad," she whispered before she pulled away to look up at her mother's questioning gaze.

"Are you ready?" Dora asked kindly, brushing her daughter's hair out of her face and kissing her forehead. "It's time to go."

"Yes," Laetessa said with a small nod, walking forward and not looking back until she leaned out one of the train windows, Aria right next to her. "Bye, Mum!" she called. "Bye, Dad! I'll see you at Christmas!"

Rodolphus waved, a proud smile on his face as he slipped his arm around Nymphadora. "What do you think she'll be?" he asked. "I think she'll be just like you."

* * *

"Get out!" came a yell from down the hall, and Rodolphus looked out of his and Dora's room to see Tessa running from her oldest sister's room, her hair pure white.

"Tessa!" he called out, but she disappeared into her room and slammed the door.

Confused, Rodolphus went to the girl's room and knocked on the door. "Laetessa?" he called softly.

She did not reply, and Teddy appeared from down the hall. "That sounded bad," he commented. "Let me go talk to her, okay?"

Rodolphus agreed to it, opening the door so that Teddy could enter the room. He went back to his own room only to hear the door open again, footsteps hurrying down the hall back toward Belle's room. He shook his head, wondering what on earth was going on with his oldest and youngest daughters. It was only when Teddy came back down the hall, pounding on his door that he looked out with a frown. "What is going on?"

"Father," said the young man, his hair white, "Belle...she's packing to leave—please come stop her."

"What?" Rodolphus said in slight horror, hurrying after Teddy who practically ran down the hall.

Teddy ripped the door open, Rodolphus looking in to see his older daughter, tears trickling down her cheeks as she put a few last things into a bag. "Belle, what are you doing?" he asked, staring around at her almost completely empty room.

Belle looked up at him, a small sob escaping her. "Father," she whispered, "I'm sorry."

"DoraBella, stop this instant and tell me what is going on," Rodolphus said sternly, walking up to the nineteen year old girl.

"I—I'm leaving," the girl whispered, backing away from her father slightly. "Jack and I are getting married next week. I knew you would disapprove, and I wouldn't have wanted me to be the one to disappoint you, but—I love him."

Rodolphus was speechless, staring at the weeping witch. "You can't be...can't be just leaving," he said numbly. "Belle—"

Belle began to cry harder. "Father, I'm sorry," she wept, grabbing her things and walking toward the door.

Teddy was pale, but he did not move to stop her, Rodolphus frozen in place. "Belle," Teddy said softly. "Please...don't leave us."

"Teddy," the witch sniffed, hugging him tightly for a moment. "I have to. Please take care of the others, okay?"

"Don't go," Teddy whispered into his sister's hair. "It can't be you, Belle."

"Stop," Belle choked, pulling away from him and hurrying out of her room.

Teddy followed her, Rodolphus moving right after him until they ran into Aria on the steps. "Belle, what's wrong?" Aria asked. "And what are you doing with that bag? Where are you going?"

Belle couldn't answer through her tears, and Teddy shook his head at the second girl. "Go get the twins and Tessa and bring them downstairs. **Expecto Patronum**." He stared at his Patronus for a moment before breathing, "Mum, there's an emergency. We need you to come home right now. Please hurry."

Rodolphus reached out and stopped Belle from leaving, the witch looking up at him. "Father, please," she sobbed. "I must go!"

"Not until the rest of the family is gathered," he answered. He couldn't help but wrap his arms around the girl as she sobbed, sounding heartbroken. Rodolphus kissed her head, his heart pounding in fear. "Shhh," he whispered to her, unable to process what she had told them.

It did not take long for Dora to arrive home from visiting Mor and Merry, nor for the twins, Aria, and Tessa to come back down the stairs, Tessa in tears. "What happened?" Nymphadora asked, looking between Belle and Tessa in concern.

Belle couldn't reply, clinging to her father as she couldn't bring herself to let go. Teddy looked up at his mother. "She's leaving us," he said, his breathing quick and nervous. "She—she's going to marry that boy Jack she met a few years ago at school."

Nymphadora looked to her oldest daughter, then reached out, slipping an arm around the girl. "Belle?" she said softly.

"I'm sorry, Mum," Belle choked. "I—I know I should stay and be all proper but I can't! I love Jack, and I want to marry him."

"Okay," Dora murmured, hugging the girl gently. "You know we won't stop you, but we will miss you terribly. I—" She bit her lip. "Belle, are you sure this is right?"

"Yes," the girl whispered, then pulled away from her mother, her hair fading to brown. "I'm sorry to disappoint you all, especially you, Father. I hope you can forgive me at some point. Good—goodbye." She turned and hurried from the house, the pop! of her apparition making everyone stare at each other in shock.

"What—what just happened?" Rohan frowned, looking at his parents. "She didn't just—Belle would not have—"

Rodolphus stormed out of the room, unable to face the rest of his family as realisation set in. He did not even respond to Nymphadora when she walked into the room, tears running down her own cheeks as she tried to talk to him. She settled for crawling into bed next to him, wrapping her arms around him as she held him close.

It was only then that Rodolphus realised that he was crying, full on crying, and couldn't stop. He buried his face in his wife's dress, unable to speak for his emotion, his body shaking against hers.

"Rod," she whispered tearfully, "I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened..."

"Dora," he choked. "Where did I go wrong? What have I did to lose my firstborn daughter like this?"

"It's a choice," Dora wept. "Mum made it. And you chose me before you knew the truth. And Shaul was going to do the same. Belle just—well, she fell in love, I guess."

Rodolphus shook his head fiercely. "I named her for you and Bella! I wanted her to be the child that always reminded me of you both! Of all of our children, why did it have to be her?!" His heartbroken cry made Dora cry all over again, the witch hugging her husband tightly, the two suffering together as they alternately cried and tried to talk through what had happened.

* * *

Rodolphus took the loss of his eldest daughter so hard that he forbade all his family to mention her to him. He saw that it broke his wife's heart how badly it effected him, but he couldn't help it. Belle had been the first of his babies that he had ever held, had ever actually been a real father to. He could not handle the thought of her absence, and decided that he needed to just forget her completely.

In spite of his desire to forget the daughter that had betrayed him so carelessly, Rodolphus remembered every day that was special to the two of them. He recalled her birthday, and always wrote her a card, which he burnt after he'd finished. It was awful to remember her birthday was the day before every single new year, because Rodolphus knew that the new year would not change anything.

The day his youngest daughter turned seventeen, Rodolphus was surprised to hear that his children were going to go out and celebrate after the family gathering, and decided to stay at home. Dora also decided to stay home to keep him company. "Where did they go?" Rodolphus asked his wife as they cuddled on the couch.

"I...I think they went out to drink," Dora shrugged distractedly before leaning up to kiss him.

"Dora," he murmured, pulling away from her kiss, "you know something. What is it?"

"I...Rod, I really shouldn't say," Dora bit her lip and looked at him pleadingly. "You wouldn't want to know."

Rodolphus frowned at her slightly, fear suddenly flooding over him. "Dora, please tell me," Rodolphus pleaded, cupping her face in his hands. "And don't say they're leaving us. I...I couldn't bear it."

Nymphadora bit her lip. "No, no, Rod," she said gently. "They've started a tradition that when the other children turn seventeen, they can start going out with the older ones to visit...their sister."

He stared at her in shock. "They're...they're with Belle right now?" he whispered, his eyes full of hurt. "All of them? Dora..."

"Even Rohan and Desmond," the witch said gently, her fingers tracing the lines in his face. "One of them discovered that Teddy was visiting her, and Teddy would only let the ones that were of age go with him."

"They're going against everything," Rodolphus shook his head. "All of them."

"They are reaching out to their sister," Dora answered, looking down at her hands. "I have been to see her once or twice as well." She cringed as his grip tightened on her. "We would not break tradition, but we would not see our family separated for this cause. After all, if Mother and Narcissa could return to sisterhood, surely our children not need be separated?"

Rodolphus stared into her eyes, angry, yet understanding fully. "None of them told me. Not even you."

Nymphadora bit her lip. "You would have forbidden it," she said. "They were afraid you would kick them out if they deigned to associate with her. Rod...I wish you would see her."

"No!" he half shouted, pushing his wife away. "Nymphadora, don't you _dare_ suggest such things! She left us! She left _me_!"

"I know!" Dora cried out, reaching for his hand, though he snatched it away. "But it doesn't mean we had to push her away! She could have stayed part of the family, like Shaul did! They're both your children. It would have been the same!"

"It was not the same!" Rodolphus yelled at her. "Bellatrix was Shaul's mother, and you are Belle's mother!" He shivered at the look of hurt in his wife's eyes.

"Is that it?" Dora whispered. "Do you blame me?"

Rodolphus turned away from her. "I blame no one," he said bitterly. "No one but myself."

Nymphadora's eyes filled with tears. "Rod," she breathed. "It was a choice. One we could have helped her through! We could have told her she didn't have to be shunned! There is a difference between staying in the family and staying in the House!"

"It's over, Dora," Rodolphus said coldly. "She is dead to me."

"Rodolphus, no," Dora wept, sitting back against the couch. "You don't mean that."

"I have to mean it," Rodolphus hissed, getting to his feet and pacing the floor. "I cannot bend, Nymphadora!"

She looked up at him, and he turned away as she spoke. "You have decided to accept so many other things, but you would not accept your own daughter's choice of a husband?" Dora asked, sniffing back tears. "Rodolphus, she wants to see you again. She tells me that she loves you every time I see her—"

Rodolphus whirled on her, pain deep in his heart. "Do _not_ speak so to me!" he shouted at her before pressing his hands to his head and running from her.

Late that night, he was shaken awake by Dora, who bit her lip as she looked down into his terrified, haunted eyes. "D—Dora," he whispered, then pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "I wouldn't hurt you. I wouldn't..." He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, unable to stop trembling. "It was a dream—I haven't been that angry in years..."

The man drew a shuddering breath, then said, "I—I'm sorry, Dora. It just—it hurts too much for me to even think about letting Belle back into my heart. She betrayed me."

"She never left your heart," Dora whispered, returning his embrace. "I hear you crying out in your sleep. You still love her, and I know that will never leave you."

"Yes," the man whispered, his face pressed into her neck. "How could I not? She is my daughter."

"But you won't—"

"Dora, don't ask me," Rodolphus said quickly. "I—I don't want to hurt you. It's a subject too close to my heart, and I know what I must do."

She sighed reluctantly, and he felt her kiss his head. "Remember that I love you, Rodolphus Lestrange," she said softly.

"And I love you," he whispered. "No matter what tricks my mind plays on me. Remember that."

"I will," Dora answered. "Now shh, Rodolphus. Lie back down. It's still nighttime."

He obeyed, pressing his face into the front of her nightgown as she held him close. He was grateful that she understood, and that she wasn't angry with him for his decisions.

* * *

Rodolphus could not have been more proud as he gave his second daughter Ariadelle away to her adoring pureblood fiance. He felt that the man was perfect for his daughter, and she was happy with the match. Rodolphus was glad the two got along all right, and as he took his seat again, Dora leaned into his side with a small sigh.

"She's so beautiful," Rodolphus murmured to her. "I hope they turn out all right."

"They will be fine," Dora answered softly, squeezing his hand. "We made sure they chose each other."

He nodded and turned to watch the newly married couple kiss. Rodolphus could only wish for them the happiness that he and Dora had, and that Teddy had with his new wife. He sighed as they left the room, ready to go congratulate the young couple. He both hated and loved weddings, but he was very proud of his daughter all the same.

Rodolphus embraced Aria and kissed her cheek, whispering, "I'm so proud of you. I love you so much, Aria."

"Thank you, Father," she answered, hugging him tightly and not worrying about crushing her dress or her flowers. "I'll miss you and the others, but I'll make sure to visit often."

He drew back and nodded, a faraway look in his eyes. "Okay," he answered as Nymphadora led him to leave. He remembered Belle saying she would miss him, but she had never returned, never even written a note. Rodolphus forced himself not to think of it, rejoicing in Aria's happiness and knowing that more of his children would soon be properly married as well.

* * *

"Sir," the young man said, looking up at his grandfather, and Rodolphus couldn't help but smile at his twenty-one year old grandson.

"Yes, Meris?" he asked. "Are you nervous about the ceremony?"

"He shouldn't be," Shaul smirked. "Mor's only gone over it with him a million times."

Meris shook his head slightly. "No. I just don't know how to do it like Father does. He makes it look so easy."

Rodolphus gave his grandson a small smile. "He had to learn," he said softly. "And where is your father, anyway?"

"He's trying to get Merime to stop crying," Shaul sighed. "She won't stop it. I can't imagine what she'll be like during the ceremony. I hope she can actually do what she's supposed to."

"At least she'll be sitting next to Dora," Rodolphus sighed. "They can cry together."

"Or imagine when Nell marries as well," Meris nodded in agreement. "Mother will be a mess."

Shaul chuckled. "She'll be okay. Just don't forget to visit."

"And send her pictures of the grandchildren," Rodolphus laughed, he and Shaul laughing still more at Meris' red face.

"What are you two laughing at?" Mordor frowned, walking into the room. "Leave him alone, both of you." He turned to his son and said, "Your mother is more calm now. I think we should go ahead and do this before she completely breaks down on us."

Meris nodded, and Rodolphus clapped the boy on the shoulder, making him jump. "You'll do well," he said to the young man. "We're all proud of you."

Rodolphus slowly left the room, Dora gently slipping her arm around him as they met near the doors. "We should take our seats," she said softly. "Analiese and the girls are ready."

He nodded, feeling her tuck her hand in his, the two walking together to the front row and sitting down together. Andromeda was already seated in the second, Rabastan there as well, the witch glancing at her daughter. "Your hair—"

"Is no more unusual than yours," Dora said, rather loudly as her mother tended not to be able to hear privately spoken words.

"Well, still," Andromeda said sharply, but Rodolphus frowned back at her.

"Leave Nymphadora alone," he said firmly. "She's beautiful no matter what she looks like."

Andromeda looked away from him and Rabastan smirked at the two before they turned around. Rodolphus looked up when Mordor and Merime walked up, the witch sitting next to Nymphadora and looking at her nervously. Nymphadora didn't say anything, merely gave her a reassuring look before looking around again as Shaul and Katie took their seats.

Rodolphus watched his oldest grandson proudly, his face lit with happiness as he watched the young man receive his new bride. He was surprised and pleased to see Merime take the necklace Mordor had given her and walk to her son, handing it to him. She was trying not to cry, but she couldn't help it as she finally threw her arms around her son and hugged him tightly.

Merry finally disentangled herself from him and sat down next to her husband, taking a tissue from Dora and crying as Mordor wrapped his arm around her, squeezing her gently. Meris turned to his new wife, carefully clasping the necklace around her neck and arranging the Lestrange crest to shine brightly against her throat. He smiled proudly, receiving a few laughs from the audience, though he didn't seem to notice as he leaned in and kissed her, pulling her close.

Rodolphus smiled slightly, hearing Teddy whistle at the two and seeing his wife shush him. The man did a double take, realising that the witch to Teddy's left was not his wife, and wondered who on earth would dare to take Teddy's hand as she had. It was with complete shock that the man hit upon the answer: it had to be Belle.

He was frozen in place as he watched her laugh with Teddy, one of his children seated on her lap as Teddy replied, grinning. She was morphed to look like someone else entirely, but he could not mistake her mannerisms, her smile, the light in her eyes. "Belle," he breathed, and Dora looked at him sharply, but he didn't notice.

It was only when Dora grasped his arm that he sat back in his chair, looking down at his hands in defeat. "Rod," she whispered, "shh."

He did not reply, but followed her to speak to Meris and Analiese. He numbly embraced his grandson and kissed the bride's rosy cheeks. "Congratulations," he said to them, Dora leading him away gently.

Rodolphus looked up for a moment, seeing Teddy again and scanning the crowd for Belle. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest as he saw Belle. She was looking toward him, and when he caught her eye, he saw the brown flicker straight to black. He couldn't help but love her in that instant, wanting nothing more to embrace her and tell her everything was all right.

He felt a tremendous sense of loss when the witch turned and spoke to Teddy, who moved quickly, leading his family from the area. Rodolphus felt as if he couldn't move, and Dora bit her lip. "Rodolphus, walk," she hissed in his ear. "Let's go home."

"Dora," he croaked, but she led him from the building and disapparated home. "Dora," he breathed, sinking onto the couch. "Belle was there. Belle...I saw her."

"She didn't want to miss her nephew's wedding," Dora murmured, half kneeling on the couch next to her husband. "And she wanted to see all of us. She hadn't met Teddy's babies."

"I miss her," Rodolphus whispered, shaking his head as he looked down. "Dora...I was going to go to her when you stopped me."

"In front of your entire family?" Dora bit her lip. "And a lot of other families? I mean, I want you and Belle to be reunited...do you want me to take you to her?"

Rodolphus rubbed his forehead for a moment, then muttered, "No. It was best that you stopped me. Now if you'll excuse me. I'd like to go lie down." He felt her eyes on him as he walked away, his heart heavy.

* * *

Rodolphus jumped in shock, his mind suddenly alerted as he struggled to open his eyes, confused that he couldn't seem to move. He saw figures standing around him and drew a breath of fear, through one of them became clear as she stepped closer, and he recognized his wife. "Dora," he whispered, his fingers twitching as he tried to reach up to her face.

"Rodolphus," the witch choked, grasping his hand, and he tried to squeeze her hand reassuringly.

"What—what's wrong?" he forced himself to speak, wondering at the difficulty of it all.

The witch bowed her head, tears trickling down her face, and Rodolphus squeezed her hand again. "I—Rodolphus—" She began to cry openly, unable to stop herself, and someone else stepped forward.

Teddy looked down at him, biting his lip, his hair brown like his mother's. "Father," he said quietly, "you didn't respond at all this morning. We've gathered the family in—" he placed a gentle hand on his mother's shoulder as she sobbed softly.

"Oh." Rodolphus sighed tiredly. "It's time to go, isn't it?"

"No," Dora sobbed, and he squeezed her hand, the witch leaning down and burying her face in his side. "Rodolphus, no."

The man sighed, trying his best to hug her and rub her back. "Nymphadora," he said softly, "I'm old."

Teddy looked down at his mother crumpled up crying, then back to the older man. "All of us are here," he said. "The children and older grandchildren."

Rodolphus saw his grandson Meris step forward and realised that both sets of his twin sons were lurking near the walls of the room. "Yes," he said, looking at each person intently, searching their faces. He finally looked up at Teddy, his fingers twitching slightly as he breathed, "Belle. Go get Belle."

The boy looked surprised, then nearly ran from the room when Dora turned and shot a glare at him through her tears. Rodolphus could feel her heart beating faster, knew what she hoped, and couldn't help sighing slightly. "Dora, could you help me sit up?" he asked quietly.

She helped him through her tears, sniffing as she sat next to him, his hand held firmly in hers. Rodolphus looked up into her face, requesting her to look at him, though tears streamed down her face as she stared into his eyes. "You're as beautiful as the day I met you," he said softly. "When I saw you captured and then tortured for things that seem so ridiculous now. You were so proud, so strong—Dora, be that way for me now. Please?"

The brown-haired witch struggled to hush her crying, nodding as she tried to wipe away her tears. They both looked up when the door to the room opened, and a witch hurried in, then stopped suddenly, biting her lip.

"Belle," Rodolphus breathed, reaching out for her.

She hurried forward, her black eyes filling with tears as she approached him and finally crawled onto the bed next to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Father," she choked. "Father, I'm sorry—"

He wrapped both arms around his grown daughter, hugging her as tightly as his remaining strength would allow. "DoraBella," he whispered. "I have not loved you less a day since you left."

"I didn't mean to be a disgrace," she wept against his neck. "I fought it for three years before I finally decided to admit it to myself. I never wanted to be a reproach on you and Mum."

"Shhh, Love," he murmured, kissing her dark locks. "You are well?"

"Yes," Belle sniffed. "Oh, Father—the time we could have spent together—"

He stopped her. "I love you," he said faintly, tracing his thumb over her red lips. "I forgive you, my daughter. Love is an unusual master."

Belle trembled, tears raining down her cheeks as she looked into his eyes. "Father," she whispered, shaking her head slightly. "I—"

Rodolphus looked up at Teddy, who was brushing away tears, and then at Meris, who was watching with a solemn expression. "You two. Belle will no longer be shunned."

"She...she never was," Teddy admitted with a guilty look. "All of us—"

"Sneaked out to visit her on various occasions?" Rodolphus smirked slightly. "Invited her to Meris' wedding?"

The young man looked surprised, and Belle gave a small laugh through her tears. "I _told_ you he would recognise me, Teddy," she sniffed, then scooted over to make room for her younger sisters.

Rodolphus shivered slightly, and Dora squeezed his hand, leaning over to kiss his grey-haired head as tears trickled down her cheeks. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he said, looking up and kissing her lips softly. He glanced around at all of them, sighing as he leaned back into his wife and oldest daughter. "I love all of you," he breathed. "I'm so proud…."

A sob escaped Nymphadora as Rodolphus took a breath to try to say something more, but sighed instead, his body relaxing as he closed his eyes for the last time.


End file.
